The joint matriculation ceremony, held on Friday, was organised in collaboration with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and the West African College for Christian Missions.
Of the 52 inmates, 26 had been admitted into NOUN, whereas the remaining 26 had been admitted into the West African College for Christian Missions.
Speaking with Daily Post at the ceremony, themed “Unlocking Potentials for Life After Incarceration Through Education: Resilience and Reintegration,” the Controller of Corrections in Ogun State, Abiyoye Kamoru Adesina, mentioned the matriculation represented hope, growth, rehabilitation and reintegration for the inmates.
He, nevertheless, lamented the challenges going through the centre in offering schooling and expertise acquisition alternatives for inmates, calling for help from the federal government, philanthropists, non-governmental organisations and different stakeholders.
“We have a lot of challenges, but we thank God. That is the main reason why I used to tell the public that government alone cannot do everything for us. We need help from philanthropists, NGOs and other stakeholders,” he mentioned.
The controller appealed to the federal government to extend its help for the Correctional Service to allow it to totally implement its mandate of reformation and reintegration.
He additionally urged the matriculating inmates to make good use of the chance to organize for all times after custody.
Also talking, the Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Abayomi Arigbabu, described the occasion as a logo of hope and transformation, noting that schooling has no boundaries.
Arigbabu, who was represented by Abosede Odulesi, a director within the ministry, disclosed that the ministry sponsored 14 eligible inmates to sit down for the 2026 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), as a part of efforts to make sure that nobody was left behind consistent with Sustainable Development Goal 4.
He inspired the matriculating inmates to embrace the chance with self-discipline, dedication and a robust dedication to tutorial excellence.
“Let your current circumstances encourage you to construct a brighter future. Remember that schooling goes past acquiring certificates; it equips you with the data, expertise and values wanted to develop into accountable and productive members of society.
“To different inmates, I urge you to not permit your current circumstances to extinguish your goals and aspirations.
“Take advantage of available opportunities to acquire vocational skills, improve your educational qualifications and prepare yourselves for a productive future. Your present situation does not have to define your tomorrow.”
On his half, the Founder and Executive Director of the Centre for Justice, Mercy and Reconciliation (CJMR), Pastor Hezekiah Olujobi, who shared his private expertise of six years of detention at Agodi Prison, Ibadan, between 1987 and 1993, urged the inmates to not permit the partitions of the correctional centre to restrict their future.
Olujobi described schooling as a gateway to society, urging the inmates to take their research severely and permit schooling to form their character.
Earlier, in his keynote deal with, the Olu of Imasayi, Oba Lukman Kuoye, mentioned being confined throughout the partitions of the correctional centre shouldn’t discourage the inmates however ought to as a substitute spur them to make schooling a precedence.
