Northern Regional Commander Of Prisons Speech On End Of Year Get-together

A SPEECH DELIVERED BY NORTHERN REGIONAL COMMANDER OF PRISONS,

DDP ROBERT K. AWOLUGUTU DURING OFFICERS GET-TOGETHER HELD AT TAMALE PRISONS CANTEEN ON 3 JAN. 2015

Mr. Chairman, Deputy Regional Commander of Prisons, our Hon. Deputy Regional Minister, Hon. DCE, Sagnerigu District, Fellow Security Service Commanders, Heads of Government Departments, Officers and Men of Ghana Prisons Service, our Distinguished Invited Guests, our friends from the media, all other Protocol respectfully and duly observed, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a great honour and privilege for me as the Regional Commander of Prisons to give this speech on a unique and an important occasion like this.

First of all, let me use this opportunity on behalf of officers in the region to thank our Creator for bringing us all this far. As we are aware, the just ended 2014 was a year full of challenges, yet we were able to surmount them and made progress in our various duties. It is undoubtedly true that these challenges were overcome not on our own strength and abilities but through the merciful God who gave us the wisdom, strength, courage and fortitude to do so.

It is against this background that, we officers of Tamale Male and Female Prisons have set aside a day like this to celebrate ourselves, eat, share and interact and map out strategies to do better than we have ever done.

Mr. Chairman, let me also use this occasion to thank my officers for their outstanding performance despite the numerous challenges the Prison Service is confronted with. Our officers have discharged their duties professionally and above any reproach. I want to on this note urge them to remain determined, dedicated and committed to our vision, mission and values to make the Prisons Service an enviable institution we can be proud of.

The Tamale Central Prison notwithstanding challenges such as transportation, irregular flow of water in the yard, lack of essential medicines to deal with inmates' health related issues has chalked success in the year 2014. It must be mentioned that, these challenges had the tendency of undermining our efforts but with the help of God and through officers' determination, the year 2014 has passed by without the administration recording any upheaval or major problem. Our security was effectively maintained and as a result no prisoner escaped from lawful custody.

Mr. Chairman, officers apparently have also received an immense support and contribution from our families in the course of discharging our duties. As such, we have organized this get-together as a way of showing our appreciation for the tremendous support received from them which in no small way has contributed to our success. Their prayers and financial support are highly appreciated. As we enter the year 2015, we are looking forward for their continuous support and contributions.

Mr. Chairman, the significance of this occasion is also to extend our heartfelt appreciation to all those who came to our aid. I want to at this time acknowledge the invaluable support the administration received from the Diamond Cement Factory for donating two hundred bags of cement towards the screeding of the prison yard following our request. Let me also put on record that, the administration is most grateful to the Metropolitan Chief Executive who generously gave a cheque of Five Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢5,000.00) for the purchase of sand and stone for the screeding of the prison yard. To our religious leaders and other philanthropists, we want to also convey to you our appreciation for all sorts of donations made to our prisoners which has helped to make life comfortable for them.

Mr. Chairman, permit me to also use this opportunity to acknowledge the presence of my colleague service commanders and to extend my administration's gratitude for all the support we have received from them. The Prisons Service is a key player in the criminal justice system and we do this together with the police and the courts. We therefore want to use this occasion to appreciate their collaboration and enormous support. We want to thank them and urge them not to hesitate in coming to our aid.

My administration is deeply grateful to the media for their tremendous support. Their reportage focused on not only our challenges but our positive contributions to the cause of peace, security and development of our dear nation.

Mr. Chairman, I want to also use this occasion to remind my colleague officers to be mindful of our mandate. Our mandate entails the safe keeping of prisoners, their welfare and reformation and rehabilitation. In the execution of our mandate, we contribute to internal security, the safety and protection of people to enable the country experience economic growth and development in peace. In this regard, we are expected to remain resolute by ensuring that the aforementioned functions are met. As officers, we will be encountering some challenges in the year 2015, but must remain determined, committed, and dedicated among others to ensure that what is expected of us is not compromised.

To augment funding from Government, we want to expand and broaden the base of our income generating ventures. The inmates will be made to undertake dry season gardening to grow vegetables to enrich their diet.

We plan to carry out an outreach programme which will take our communication team to nearby towns and villages to sensitize the people about the work prison officers do and to get their support towards prisoner reformation, rehabilitation and social reintegration plans.

The good Lord has blessed us and will continue to bless us. Let us remember Him in everything we do. Our sister countries are struggling to survive from Ebola but Ghana has never recorded a single case of this killer disease. This does not mean we should remain complacent but strive to put forth our best efforts to stop the disease from entering our country and be prepared to swiftly deal with it when the unexpected happens.

Mr. Chairman, Deputy Regional Commander of Prisons, Honourable Deputy Regional Minister, Honourable D.C.E, Sagnerigu, Fellow Security Service Commanders, Heads of Government Departments, Officers and Men of the Prisons, Our Distinguished Invited Guests, all Other Protocol duly observed, Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to on this note on behalf of the administration of Tamale Central and Female Prison thank you for taking time off your busy schedules to grace this occasion. It is my prayer and hope that we will continue to accord each other this recognition and work together to achieve the common goals of our beloved country Ghana.

Thank you and God bless us all.
Abundant Robert K. AWOLUGUTU
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF PRISONS/REGIONAL COMMANDER
TAMALE CENTRAL PRISONS
TAMALE-NORTHERN REGION