Reviving Rehabilitation Centres In Rivers

Rivers State Commissioner for Social Rehabilitation, Hon Daimiete Herbert Miller

It is pertinent to state
that
the importance of rehabilitation centres in any developing society cannot be over-emphasised.
Rivers State  Rehabilitation Centre in Iriebe, was established by Dr Peter Odili-led administration to, among other things, take away the destitutes and the mentally disorderly persons away from the streets and major roads in the state.
These persons by  their activities cause environmental hazards to the society and at the same time constitute societal nuisance.
Although the Iriebe Rehabilitation Centre was initially designed for care of motherhood, unfortunately, when Rivers State was given the right to participate and host the Under 23   World Cup tournament, the centre was urgently converted to rehabilitation centre for destitutes at that time. Since then, the centre has become a place where mentally disorderly persons are kept.
Perhaps, this informed why successive governments in the state abandoned the centre for many years without putting it into use.
The Iriebe Rehabilitation Centre has become a source of worry to many and has been described as a rejected place, hence, defeating the objective of its establishment. This informed the recent facility tour by the State Commissioner for Social Welfare/Rehabilitation, Hon. Damiete Herbert Miller to all agencies under his watch to, among other things, ascertain the level of infrastructural decay in those areas as well as see the need for government intervention with a view to correcting the negative perception of the agencies.
The visit took the  Commissioner and his team to the Iriebe Rehabilitation Centre, government approved schools, Remand Home and Children Homes, all at Borikiri as well as the special schools, Port Harcourt.
The visit, otherwise called fact-finding tour, opened many discussions such as why successive administrations abandoned these centres and schools? Why government stopped the medical care of the inmates at the Iriebe Rehabilitation Centre? Why was there no conducive working environment provided for the staff? These questions and many more are what the  Commissioner and his team would be providing answers to soon.
The State Governor, Barr. Nyesom Wike, had during his campaign promised the people of the state that his administration would strive to bring democratic dividends closer to the people irrespective of their ethic nationality, religion and status. This perhaps informed the visit of the Commissioner to these agencies in line with the New Rivers Vision mantra of the present administration of the state.  Hon Miller took the message of hope from the state governor to these groups of people, hitherto referred to as rejected and abandoned people in the society.
The recurring findings that appeared clearly during the visit were dilapidated infrastructure, lack of medicare, lack of access road, poor drainage system, absence of modern working environment and many others. The tour has indeed justified the choice of the  Commissioner by the Chief Executive of the state to head the Ministry of Social Welfare/Rehabilitation.
The commissioner’s first point of call during the tour was the rehabilitation centre, Iriebe where he expressed shock and worry over the dilapidated infrastructure at the centre. The commissioner also took time to inspect the hostels and  offices at the centre, and described the centre as the worst in human existence.
He stated that Governor Wike was passionate about the welfare  of  social workers and less privileged in the state, and added that the visit would enable him to do a memo to the governor for total turn around of the place for effective maximisation of services of the agencies.
Hon. Miller assured the inmates that the various problems confronting them would become a thing of the past.
He particularly promised that the hostels and the drainage system at Iriebe Rehabilitation Centre would be given serious attention, while the ministry would partner with her counterpart in the Ministry of Health to address the health care needs of the inmates at the centre. According to him, he was optimistic that the visit would address the numerous challenges confronting the school such as lack of drugs, lack of manpower, etc.
In response to the commissioner’s comments, Mr Assor Livinus, Principal, Rehabilitation Centre, Iriebe, described the visit by the commissioner and his team as timely, adding that the visit had offered them the opportunity to see things for themselves.
A social worker at the centre, Mr Hope Sapira,  stressed the need for intensive training for workers at the centre, adding that a training programme would help to expose them to new skills.
“We have been doing this work for over eight years now without any form of refresher courses, we are not exposed to new ideas and techniques in the job that would improve and enhance our performances”.
“Moreso, we are lacking in the area of manpower, the ministry should recruit more social workers. We have only six staff and 15 casual workers taking care of 123 inmates, “he stated.
An inmate at the centre, Mr Paul told the commissioner that they were suffering at the centre and appealed to him to address the harsh conditions in the area.
“Our condition is bad here, we need drugs for our medications, we don’t have much to eat. Please, help us, we are also born of parents. We are suffering too much here. No food, we lack medical care”, he  stated.
At the Government Approved School, Remand Homes and Children Home in Borikiri, Hon. Herbert stated that the government would look into the problems enumerated with a view to bringing solution to the various challenges confronting them. “We have taken stock of the entire myriad of problems in these schools, we would go back to the ministry to see how we can address these problems.
“They are pathetic in nature, if the previous administration had taken the bull by the horn in these agencies, we would not have been talking about infrastructure”,  he stated.
The state commissioner assured the people that the era when government abandoned projects was over and said that Governor Wike was determined to put smiles on the faces of the people of the state.
Dr Wibana, Director, Family Welfare Unit Government Approved School, Borokiri, told the commissioner that lack of office space and power supply were major problems confronting the school, adding that the visit has rekindled their lost hope.
“Mr Commissioner, we are very hopeful that your visit today to this school will assuage all our sufferings and bring the desired changes”, he stated.
In his own speech, Mr Wosu Prince, the Warden at the Port Harcourt Remand Home said the home was established 42 years ago on a temporary site, adding that the home currently has three categories of inmates in their custody, those of criminal cases from juvinile courts, those beyond parental control and those for care and protections all less down 18 years old.
He listed lack of vehicles to convey inmates to court, emergency situation by home tracing of inmates, lack of drugs, renovation of hostels as some problem facing the home.
Also, Mrs Barile Nwakoh, matron in charge of the Port Harcourt Children Home lauded the Commissioner for the visit, adding that the visit had given the children at the home a sense of belonging.
She expressed gratitude to the Commissioner for the compassion, he showered to the children, adding that  they had been encouraged by the visit.
She however, used the opportunity to request for the employment of minders to the home, adding that they are at moment working with six staff and 20 casuals”.
Now that the  Commissioner  and his team have ended tour  and also taken inventory of infrastructure needed and new projects to be constructed at these agencies, it seems hope is being rekindled for the state-owned rehabilitation centres. Indeed, Rivers people are anxiously waiting to see the new Rivers Vision mantra in action, especially at these rehabilitation centers for effective service delivery. The time to act in now.

Akujobi Amadi