The Chief of Defence Staff, (CDS) Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, has donated food and sundry items to Okaka Correctional Center in Yenagoa, Bayelsa capital.
Items donated on Saturday to inmates to commemorate the yuletide include rice, noodles, table oil, tissue papers amongst other materials
The items were donated to mark this end of year activities for personnel of the Joint Task Force Operation Delta Safe.
Presenting the items, on behalf of the CDS, Rear Admiral Olugbenga Oladipo, Commander JTF OPDS, noted that the items given to the Correctional Center were meant for the inmates.
He said they will continue to support in their own capacity to ensure that inmates are living a better life and to give them a sense of belonging.
Represented by the Maritime Component Commander JTF, Commodore B.O Onalo, he said the fact that they are confined does not make them written off in the world.
He assured them that there is still life after serving their sentences, “Our own belief is that one day they will finish serving their terms and they will come out and join us,” he said.
On his part, Mr Ogundare Rasheed, Deputy Controller of Corrections, Okaka Centre, commended the JTF Commander, for their kind gesture towards the inmates.
According to him: “This is not the first time, I assumed here a year ago and this is the third of its kind that they come here to present items, for the inmates under the Correctional Center,” he said.
In another development, the CDS treated troops of the joint force serving at the Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) facility at Kwale to a Christmas luncheon at the facility.
The CDS applauded the resilience and dedication of troops deployed to protect oil installations in the Niger Delta region.
Represented by the JTF Commander, the CDS said that the luncheon was aimed at recognizing the dedication and sacrifices of the troops in safeguarding lives and maintaining peace, particularly during the festive season.
He reiterated the military’s commitment to improving the living and working conditions of personnel and their families.