Protocol:
The Deputy Controller of Corrections, Warri Medium Security Custodial Centre, esteemed officers and men of the Nigerian Correctional Service, respected community leaders, religious leaders, traditional rulers, civil society partners, members of the press, colleagues, friends, ladies and gentlemen.
It gives me immense joy, a deep sense of fulfillment, and profound humility to stand before you all on this historic day. Today, the 23rd of September 2025, is not just another date on the calendar, but one that will be remembered as a landmark in the history of the Nigerian Correctional Service, in the life of this great community, and in the lives of many men and women whose destinies are still being rewritten within these walls.
We have gathered here to formally commission and launch a brand-new two-storey educational facility inside the Warri Medium Security Custodial Centre. This building is not just about its bricks, blocks, cement, or steel. It is about transformation. It is about hope. It is about planting seeds of renewal in the lives of people who, though confined by law, are not beyond redemption. This facility will soon house the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Study Centre for inmates, bringing the power of education directly into the correctional system in Warri.
At Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, we have always believed that true security goes beyond protecting oil assets, safeguarding waters, or monitoring territories. Security is holistic. It is about human lives. It is about creating opportunities where despair once reigned. It is about ensuring that no one — no matter how far they may have fallen — is left behind or forgotten.
History and Role of the Nigerian Correctional Service
The Nigerian Correctional Service, formerly known as the Nigerian Prisons Service, is one of the oldest institutions in our nation’s history. It traces its roots as far back as 1862, when the first structured system of detention and correction was introduced in Lagos. That was barely a year after Lagos was declared a Crown Colony by the British. Since then, this institution has evolved steadily through decades of colonial administration, independence, and nation-building.
The Correctional Service has borne silent witness to the journey of Nigeria itself — from colonialism, through independence in 1960, to our present democratic dispensation. Through wars, economic upheavals, and changing governments, the Service has remained faithful to its core mandate: to receive offenders, to provide safe custody, and above all, to reform and rehabilitate men and women so that they may re-enter society with dignity.
Today, the Nigerian Correctional Service performs ten fundamental functions:
- Receiving and holding detainees in safe custody.
- Rehabilitating inmates through counseling, moral guidance, skill acquisition, and education.
- Ensuring welfare and humane treatment for inmates under the law.
- Maintaining security and preventing escapes or breaches.
- Supervising inmates and ensuring discipline within facilities.
- Reintegrating ex-inmates into society in a constructive way.
- Keeping records and documentation of those in custody.
- Allowing supervised visitation for inmates to maintain human connection.
- Transporting inmates safely when required by judicial or administrative processes.
- Releasing inmates who have met the legal conditions for freedom.
But of all these responsibilities, one function shines brightest above the rest — rehabilitation. For without rehabilitation, prisons would simply be places of punishment and despair. With rehabilitation, however, prisons become places of healing, transformation, and second chances. And that is where education becomes indispensable.
The Transformational Role of Education in Correctional Centres
Education is the single most powerful tool for change. It liberates the mind, reforms the character, builds new skills, and opens the door to dignity and purpose. Without education, many inmates are condemned to return to society unprepared, stigmatized, and vulnerable to reoffending. But with education, we empower them to re-enter society as contributors, innovators, and better citizens.
This is why, on August 15, 2019, when the Federal Government of Nigeria transformed the old Nigerian Prisons Service into the Nigerian Correctional Service, it was not just a change of name. It was a bold declaration of philosophy — a shift from punishment to rehabilitation, from stigma to dignity, from exclusion to reintegration. It was an announcement that in Nigeria, we no longer merely lock people away; we prepare them for a renewed future.
The building we are commissioning today represents a practical embodiment of that philosophy. With eight fully furnished classrooms, an administrative office, modern toilet facilities, a borehole water supply, and solar-powered energy backup, this facility is built to last. It is designed to provide an environment where knowledge can thrive.
More importantly, with the partnership of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), this building will soon become a centre where inmates can pursue diplomas, degrees, and lifelong learning. Inmates here will no longer be defined by their past mistakes, but by the new knowledge, new values, and new opportunities they gain through education.
Tantita Security Services: Our Commitment to Society
This project is part of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited’s broader vision of social responsibility and community development. Our mandate as a security company goes beyond the protection of pipelines, waterways, and oil assets. We believe true national security cannot exist without human security — the security of lives, of dignity, and of hope.
Just last week, on Friday the 19th of September, we had the honour of renovating the historic Sultan Bello Mosque in Kaduna. That project, formally commissioned by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was not simply a religious project. It was a contribution to national unity, cultural preservation, and community empowerment.
In the same way, today’s project in Warri is not just about a building. It is about re-engineering the future of individuals. It is about saying that no one is too lost to be found, no one is too broken to be mended, and no one is too guilty to be given a second chance.
Appreciation
At this juncture, I must extend deep gratitude. First, to the leadership of the Nigerian Correctional Service at the national level and to the officers here in Warri. Your openness, your partnership, and your dedication made this project possible. To the Deputy Controller of Corrections, DCC Richard Egbede, I say a heartfelt thank you for your steadfast support and encouragement throughout this journey.
To my colleagues at Tantita, to our partners, contractors, and every hand that contributed to this vision — this is as much your day as it is ours.
Dedication
We dedicate this facility to the future — to the staff and inmates who will sit in these classrooms, to the families who long for their sons and daughters to be restored, and to the larger Nigerian society that will be stronger and safer when rehabilitated men and women rejoin it.
May this building serve as a beacon of hope, a centre of learning, a house of dignity, and a symbol of second chances.
Closing
On behalf of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, I thank you all for honouring us with your presence today. Together, let us continue to build not just physical structures, but human lives. Let us continue to fight not just insecurity in our waters and pipelines, but insecurity in human hearts. And let us continue to believe that through faith, education, and compassion, Nigeria will be safer, stronger, and more united.
God bless the Nigerian Correctional Service.
God bless the good people of Warri.
God bless Delta State.
And God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Thank you.