In what seems preposterous, three prison inmates serving various jail terms are set to be university graduates this week.
The three prison inmates serving various jail terms are among the over 7,000 graduates expected to be awarded degrees at the 4th convocation ceremony of the National Open University of Nigerian (NOUN) on Saturday.
According to the Vice Chancellor of NOUN, Prof Vincent Tenebe, who briefed the press on the forthcoming event, the three inmates are serving at Kirikiri and Enugu Prisons.
He also recalled that in 2014, NOUN graduated one inmate.
Prof Tenebe also revealed that NOUN would confer honorary degrees on Late Dr. Stella Adadavoh and former Inspector General of Police, MD Yusuf. He said Dr. Adadavoh would receive Doctor of Science while MD Yusuf would be conferred with Doctor of Letters.
‘’This year’s convocation, we are graduating three inmates. Two of the inmates are from Kirikiri Prisons and one from Enugu Prisons. We will continue to award our certificates to inmates found worthy in learning and character’’, the VC stressed.
He said NOUN would continue to seek for amnesty for inmates who while serving jail terms graduate and that when they leave the prison, the inmates would contribute their quota to the development of the country.
The VC disclosed that NOUN has special study centres nationwide in Prisons, Police, Army and the paramilitary noting that Open and Distance Learning (ODL) has come stay in the country because it is one of the avenue for Nigerians to get tertiary education.
Applauding the FG, Tenebe appreciated President Goodluck Jonathan for his interest in NOUN and used the opportunity to call on government to increase to NOUN and that if funded properly, it would be able to tackle the numerous challenges confronting the country.
He noted that the convocation ceremony would hold tomorrow (January 17, 2015) and be delivered by Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali, Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, with the theme as ‘’Open & Distance Learning and Democratic Transformation in Nigeria’’ while Prof. Godswill Obioma, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Educational Research & Development Council (NERDC) would chair the event.
On the honorary degree awards, Prof Tenebe described the late Dr. Adadavoh as a lady who laid her life to safe many Nigerians from the Ebola dread disease thus NOUN would honour her at the convocation ceremony with Doctor of Science and the former police boss, MD Yusuf, with Doctor of Letter for his performance while in office as the IG.
An outstanding Dr. Stella Shade Ameyo Adadevoh was the first Nigerian to contract Ebola virus after treating Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer. She died of the days after testing positive to the dreaded virus.
