Access for Youths to Information Technology Initiative (AYIITI), an initiative aimed at spreading tech and using it to enrich the poor, alongside Anchor Heritage Initiative have partnered with the Kirikiri Medium Custodial Centre, Lagos State to train 20 of its inmates in computer programming.
Out of this initiative, two inmates won a brand new laptop and coding books as gifts for winning a coding competition organized for the inmates during their graduation ceremony.
In attendance were the Controller of Corrections, Lagos State Command, Ben-Rabbi Freedman, CC Ben-Robbi Freedman, Deputy Controller of Corrections (DCC), Kirikiri Medium Custodial Centre, DCC Michael Anugwa and other personalities.
The custodial center had secured approval from the National Open University of Nigeria to award Diploma certificates in various fields to inmates after being trained by the University.
While presenting the laptop and coding book to the winners, AYIITI Managing Director and Founder, Akinyele Olubodun, said the Initiative dated back to 2011 in his quest to give back to society.
The UNILAG graduate said the five months of training grilled the inmates from scratch but he was happy that it turned out to be fruitful.
Speaking about the initiative, he said, “It identifies with the vulnerable people from the margins of society, teaching them computer programming for ethical change.
“I choose to teach inmates computer programming because it teaches character reformation, resilience, logic, problem solving and patience.
“This is not just programming, it is programming for a better world.”
The initiative is partnering with other tech companies to train the inmates for onward transfer to NOUN to issue diploma certificates. Another class of tech training would resume soon and the training would cover website development, graphics design, photography, and computer literacy among others.