UNODC, NGO Takes Game Of Chess To Nigerian Correctional Centres

By :Darlington Omotoso

As the world remembers Nelson Mandela on July 18,2024, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) and a non-profit organization, Chess in Slums Africa, collaborated to bring the transformative game of chess to the Maiduguri Maximum and Medium Security Correctional Centers, in Borno State.

Speaking, on the importance of the initiative, the Deputy Country Representative of UNODC in Nigeria, Mr. Danilo Campisi, said “Chess, with its intellectual rigor and strategic thinking, can equip inmates with critical life skills, improve their mental health, and provide a constructive outlet for their energy.”

He added that the UNODC is excited about the initiative and the partnership; saying it hopes to see the next chess champions emerge from the custodial centres.

In his remarks, the founder, Chess in Slums Africa, Tunde Onakoya said,“we have seen firsthand how chess can transform lives in the most challenging environments.
Bringing chess to custodial centres is a natural extension of our mission to use the game as a tool for social change. We are honoured to partner with UNODC to make this a reality.”

The initiative was launched following the commissioning and handover of a newly built and equipped clinic and a furnished showroom constructed to display products made by inmates from the two custodial centres in Borno State.

The UNODC also donated sports equipment to six custodial centres in northeast Nigeria, including Maiduguri Maximum and Medium Security Custodial Centers in Borno, aiming to promote sports in these facilities.

The NCoS Controller of Corrections for Borno State, Abdullahi Dahiru Mbaya, speaking at the handover event, emphasized that the support from UNODC with funding from the United States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), will help the correctional service showcase the remarkable talents and abilities of inmates.

His words:”This intervention will contribute to the Correctional Service fulfilling its mandate regarding rehabilitation of inmates and allow the public to see the potential of the inmates, inspiring hope for Inmates expressed their excitement about the programme, stating that learning chess will provide them with a mental escape and a new way to approach problem-solvingor their futures beyond the walls of the custodial centres”.

Inmates could not hide their excitement about the programme; stating that learning chess will provide them with a mental escape and a new way to approach problem-solving.