No fewer than 21 prison inmates of Oyo correctional centre will participate in the 2021 National Examination Council, NECO, an official of the State Custodial Centre has confirmed.
www.tracknews.ng reports that the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Oyo Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), DSC Anjorin Olanrewaju, made the revelation on Tuesday in Ibadan, the state capital.
According to the prison official, the participating students whose first subject would be Agricultural Practical in the 2021 NECO were already in examination mood.
The command had admonished inmates participating in the examination to study hard, avoid panicking throughout the period and wished them the best in their papers.
Sending his words of encouragement to the 21 inmates, the Controller of Corrections in Oyo State, Ailewon Noel, reassured them that success would be theirs since they had been preparing for the examination ahead of time.
According to Noel, being imprisoned was never an excuse not to improve and develop oneself, adding that they could be whoever they wanted to be.
He further stated that some Awaiting Trial Inmates that were acquitted that seized the opportunity to write and pass the exam in the past three years that the exercise started had since gained admission into various universities in Nigeria.
The Prison boss said the effort to register a National Open University (NOUN) centre in the facility was at an advanced stage and would soon be a reality.
He said having a NOUN centre at the correction facility would enable successful inmates to further their studies to the University level.
He said: “Preparations have been ongoing for months towards getting the participants ready for the exams.
“Various NGOs and the NYSC have been assisting the Nigerian Correctional Service by sending professional teachers to the Agodi Centre to prepare the students towards passing the examination.
“One of the 21 participating inmates is a female and registered to sit for Science subjects with four other male inmates while 14 students registered for Arts subjects.
“The remaining two registered for Commercial subjects,” Noel added.
