By BABARA KALU, Enugu –
No fewer than 127 inmates from Enugu Detention Center are expected to sit on the November / December National Examination Board (NECO), Senior Secondary (External) Certificate Examination, an official said.
The spokesman of the state command of the Nigerian Corrections Service (NCoS), Mr. Monday Chukwuemeka, stated this in a statement issued to newsmen on Thursday in Enugu.
Mr Chukwuemeka said the NCoS, under the leadership of Comptroller General of Corrections, Haliru Nababa, was focusing on using education as a viable tool to reform inmates in state detention centers.
“This has resulted in the admission of over 400 inmates into various study programs of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) across the federation,” he said.
He said state’s Comptroller of Corrections, Nicholas Obiakor appreciated the Carmelite Prisoners Interest Organization (CAPIO) and the Isaac Blessings Foundation for funding the enrollment of 71 and 56 inmates for the NECO exam
The spokesperson said the comptroller also sought support from the general public to end the stigmatization of ex-detainees in order to ensure their full reintegration into society.
“The command advises inmates to emulate former inmates who achieved excellent results in NECO exams and to pursue further higher education.
“The command encourages other detainees to use the opportunities offered by the service in the different centers of learning and skills acquisition of detention centers to improve and reform completely,” he said.
NAN reports that 84, 120, 130 and 145 inmates at the Enugu detention center took the NECO exam in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively.
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