The need for good spirited individuals and corporate organisations to invest in human capital development in the society particularly the downtrodden has been stressed.
An Entrepreneur and Chief Executive Officer of BTCBAR SZL group of label and entertainment company, Mr. Ebenezer Akarah, stated this in Asaba in a chat with TNC correspondent.
Akarah who noted that the burden of providing for the less privileged in the society lies in all, urged well-meaning individuals to contribute their quota towards the upliftment of the lives of the less privileged around them.
He revealed that on his capacity, he had evolved and sustained an initiative to sponsor the release of some prisoners with minor crimes whose freedom had been stalled by the inability to pay for their bail in order for them to secure their freedom.
Mr. Akarah, who recalled that similar gesture was carried out in Abuja in 2019, stated that he had reached out to the specific category of prisoners that fell within the bracket of those whose freedom were denied as a result of their poor financial status to meet the requirement for their release.
Akarah who is also an innovationist in diverse technology noted that though detention of any pronounced criminal by courts of relevant jurisdiction was allowed, it is not ideal to continue to deny minor offenders of their freedom as a result of their financial inability to pay for their release.
He identified lack of job opportunities as one of the major reasons why some youths indulge in needless crimes and urged the government to put critical measures in place to secure the future of the youths.
“I want to urge the youths to shun crime and engage themselves in meaningful ventures that would impact positively on their lives and the society in general, it is important that government plays its part in assisting them stay crime-free,” he said.
According to him, apart from his usual annual sponsorship of the freedom of certain inmates in the prisons, his company had designed measures to rehabilitate as well as integrate them into the society through skill acquisition and job opportunities.
“I have been a strong advocate for the empowerment and advancement of the youths by empowering them for business and financial solutions. That is the surest way to fight crime and I encourage government at all levels not just to be investing huge amounts of money in procuring arms for fighting crime but to invest more in developing human capital especially the youths,” he said.
