Inmates in Abuja could soon be enrolled in university programmes under a new plan being developed by the Nigerian Correctional Service.
The Federal Capital Territory Command said it was working with Yakubu Gowon University to expand education and vocational training inside custodial centres. Controller of Corrections for the FCT, Christopher Jen, said the initiative would help prisoners gain skills and reduce the risk of reoffending.
“We want to ensure our inmates are kept busy and acquire skills that will enable us to sleep with our two eyes closed when they are discharged,” he said during a visit to the university on Tuesday.
Acting Vice Chancellor Professor Adamu Matthew said he would direct the school’s Open and Distance Learning Centre to explore establishing a study hub inside a correctional facility. The programme is expected to complement existing opportunities offered by the National Open University of Nigeria, which already provides courses for inmates.
The Correctional Service has recently expanded efforts to use education as a tool for rehabilitation. In August, 70 inmates at the Kuje Custodial Centre were registered to take national examinations at a new NABTEB centre.
Leave feedback about this