THE emerging trend in corporate social responsibility (CSR) has spurred many corporate bodies, NGOs, religious bodies, local communities and the like to perform functions that otherwise were the preserve of government.

For a long time, religious bodies have been in the vanguard of building schools, hospitals, clinics, maternity homes, and other such social service facilities. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community-based organisations (CBOs) and civil society groups have implemented projects and programmes that touched and immensely benefited the people.

For instance, companies, NGOs and others have rehabilitated dilapidated roads while potable water has been provided for needy communities. The other day, there were reports that the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) mobilised bulldozers to repair sections of the dilapidated Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Similarly, Winners Chapel is reportedly repairing abandoned Ota roads. Ordinarily, it is the responsibility of government to repair roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

But in a society like ours where government is negligent in its responsibility, citizen groups have stepped in to redeem the situation. All the projects and programmes implemented by one corporate body or the other have gone a long way to transform sections of the population that are beneficiaries. Quite often, these silent partners in progress are not known or even heard. They prefer to remain silent while working hard behind the scene to help society grow.

One of such silent achievers that have impacted positively on a section of society’s forgotten is Joy Bringers, an NGO that specialises in remoulding the character of prison inmates to be useful citizens after their release. I first knew about Joy Bringers’ character training of prison inmates sometime in June 2013, when the NGO invited me to their graduation ceremony at the Kirikiri Maximum Prison in Lagos.

Initially, I couldn’t figure out what sort of graduation was taking place inside such dreaded prison. It was not until I got there and the ceremony kicked off with smartly dressed young men and women I thought were invited to come and entertain the audience, not knowing that they were actually prison inmates, indeed, the graduates of the character school, that I became convinced that something extraordinary was taking place. Ever since then, I have been invited twice to the same graduation ceremony – one at the Kirikiri Maximum Prison and the other at the Female Prison at Kirikiri.

What attracted Joy Bringers to partner with the Nigerian Prison Service Authorities to train prison inmates on character remolding? According to the organisation’s Founder, Mr. Jude Ememe, over the years, Nigeria as a nation has had to grapple with the problem of value and character erosion in our political and social systems. As a result, many Nigerians, young and old from different segments of the social and political class have ended up in prisons due to one problem or the other associated with character and value bankruptcy.

Ememe said it is evident that incarceration in prisons has not brought about the desired change in the prison inmates. It was in an attempt to address the issue of character problems in Nigeria that Joy Bringers Foundation was established. The group aims at supporting the Nigerian Prison Authority, the judiciary and justice system, to facilitate the successful reintegration of ex-offenders as well as reduce the rate of recidivism (relapsing into crime) among ex-offenders in Nigerian prisons.

Since the Foundation commenced its character training school programme at the Ikoyi Prison in March 2013, it has trained over 2000 inmates in free personality re-characterisation. Joy Bringer’s training programme has been extended to the Kirikiri Maximum Prison, Female Prison and the Medium Security Prison all in Lagos. The over 30 training sessions it has conducted always climaxed with a graduation ceremony where the graduands are certified as character ambassadors.

Usually, each training session lasts for three months with the curriculum covering Character Building, Conscience Management, Anger Management, Conflict Resolution, Purpose Driven Life, Family Life, Stewardship, Entrepreneurship, Mental Health, Developing Skills and Access to Justice, etc.

In the course of the training, inmates are exposed to resources that focus on reformation and rehabilitation that help them heal mentally, emotionally, overcome depression, aggression, hatred and other destructive emotional issues. While in prison, the graduates of the training are given leadership roles as a result of the exemplary character they have acquired.

The impact of the programme has been highly commended by inmates who have gone through the training, their families, the Nigerian Prison Service, Ministry of Justice and the judiciary. In all the prisons where the character training has been conducted, there are live-changing testimonies. The prisons have become more peaceful; the inmates more responsible as the prison authorities now find it easier to perform their duties. With the life-changing testimonies, the problem is how to extend this free service to all the prisons in Nigeria. That, certainly, should be the goal of Joy Bringers Nigeria.

In recognition of the invaluable service Joy Bringers is rendering to the society, Mr. Ememe was, the other day, given an award. The award was given during this year’s event of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Alumni Association in Lagos.  The Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Consul General, Dehab Ghebread, and His Excellency, Akinwumi Ambode, the Governor of Lagos State, himself a HHH Fellow, were among the personalities who graced the occasion.  The HH Humphrey desk at the U.S. Consulate recommended some distinguished Fellows for awards.

The award was presented to Mr. Jude Ememe for his leadership as the President of the HHH Alumni Association of Nigeria and working hard to promote the development of the association. Also, his over two years prison outreach at Ikoyi and Maximum prisons has positively impacted the lives of over 2000 inmates. His NGO, Joy Bringers Nigeria, has supported the rehabilitation of prison inmates. Mr. Ememe has distinguished himself as a unique Humphrey fellow in Nigeria.

What else can we say about a man whose humanitarian instincts have propelled to engage in an uncommon service to society? Remoulding the character of prison inmates, including hardened criminals is not something government can do. Given the positive impact Joy Bringers character training of prison inmates is making, it is worthwhile to expand the programme to all the prisons in the country for a reformed citizenry.