Glo’s Professor Johnbull advocates reformatory prison system

The need for the country to institute a reformatory prison system is on the front burner this week on popular TV drama series, Professor Johnbull, sponsored by telecommunications giant, Globacom.

Entitled ‘Stigma’, the episode also flays the stigmatisation and discrimination of ex-convicts, saying this may further push them into more violent crimes, which will be detrimental to the wellness of the society. It also condemns the stigmatisation of people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and other contagious health issues and solicits for empathy for them.

The engaging episode features hip-hop superstar, Innocent Idibia, a.k.a. Tuface and other regulars of the sitcom including Olaniyi (Yomi Fash-Lanso), Ufoma (Bimbo Akintola), Etuk (Imeh Bishop), Samson (Ogus Baba) and Abednego (Martins Nebo). Tuface plays the role of an ex-convict who decides to run a restaurant but, unfortunately for him, customers boycott his eatery owing to his record as an ex-convict.

This ill treatment meted to Tuface makes the erudite professor to wonder if the nation’s prison system is reformatory indeed or punitive. Professor Johnbull, played by Nollywood legend, , Kanayo O. Kanayo (KOK), in his usual surefootedness insists that the society has a lot to benefit from a fully reformatory prison system in addition to an impactful public enlightenment drive on how ex-convicts can be molded to add value to the society.

In the same vein, Mai Doya (Funky Mallam) goes for an HIV test. Before the result of the test is secured, the rumour mill goes agog about his HIV status. The episode presents to the viewers the evil that can befall a society which is bereft of basic enlightenment on knotty health issues like HIV.

Professor Johnbull equally takes a swipe at people who stigmatise those living with HIV adding that the mere fact that a patient is advised to submit to an HIV test is not a confirmation that the patient is infected, and encouraged every citizen to make conscious efforts to ascertain their HIV status.

The sitcom will be on air on NTA Network, NTA International on DSTV Channel 251 and NTA on StarTimes at 8.30 p.m. on Tuesday while repeat broadcasts will come up on Friday at the same time and on the same TV channels.

Edem Bassey, Calabar