Eleven detainees from the Nigerian Correctional Service’s Ibara Custodial Centre in Abeokuta, Ogun State, have been offered admission to the Nigerian Open University.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Victor Oyeleke, revealed this in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the convicts will be matriculated on November 2, 2021.
According to Oyeleke, the detainees were admitted to study a variety of subjects including Business Administration, Political Science, Criminology and Security Studies, Peace and Conflict Resolution, and Public Administration.
According to him, this is the third matriculation in the Custodial Centre, under the auspices of NOUN.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Peters represented by Dr Segun Adenuga the Director of Abeokuta Study centre took the enrollees through the orientation programme.
In his address, the Controller-General of Nigerian Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa ably represented by the Controller of Corrections, Ogun State Command, Abdurasheed Alimi urged the matriculating students and other inmates to take advantage of the opportunity given to them to add value to their lives.
He reiterated that the occasion underscored the core of the mandate of the Nigerian Correctional Service which is to reform and rehabilitate those in its care and subsequently reintegrate them back into the society.
He assured that NCoS has continued to deliver on its mandate through a plethora of academic and vocational skills acquisition, as well as psychosocial support programmes for inmates.
Nababa noted that about 3,000 inmates are currently undergoing various programmes in the National Open University of Nigeria and other higher institutions that have been in partnership with the correctional service.
He appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari, for his support for the service and extended the same to other development partners.
In his address, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Peters represented by Dr Segun Adenuga the Director Abeokuta Study Centre, assured the inmates of NOUN management commitment to making their study seamless, peaceful and safe.
He urged them not to disgrace NOUN in their conduct. He also challenged them to be studious, thirst for knowledge and be a generation that will restore Africa’s pride to help change the continent after their release from custody.
He expressed the gratitude of the NOUN management to NCoS for its cooperation with NOUN and specially commended the efforts of ASC 1 Awesu Abdulhakeem the welfare and Education desk officer of the Custodial Centre for his commitment to making the study seamless.
The third matriculation of inmates of the Custodial Center into NOUN was also witnessed by the Director of Mass Literary, Ogun State, Alhaji Mikail Lawal who represented the Hon. Commissioner for Education for Ogun State Prof.Abayomi Arigbabu.