The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has sponsored 120 inmates of the Medium Security Correctional Centre, Kuje, of the Nigerian Correctional Service for the National Examination Council (NECO) and National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) examinations.
The philanthropic gesture by the Speaker, which held at the facility, was part of the activities marking his 61st birthday on Thursday.
This is just as inmates who benefitted from Speaker Tajudeen’s scholarships last year and scored distinctions in their exams commended him for identifying with them.
A team from the Speaker’s Office, which delivered the message to the inmates through the management of the correctional centre, noted that the ceremony was special to the Speaker, hence the gesture.
“I leave you with three words: Believe. Learn. Rebuild. Believe that your future can be better. Learn everything that can make you a better person. And when the opportunity comes, rebuild your life and make a positive contribution to society,” the Speaker noted.
The highlight of the event was the announcement that the Speaker would register 120 inmates for this year’s NABTEB and NECO examinations in continuation of his commitment to ensuring that incarceration does not become a barrier to education, personal development, and the opportunity to build a better future.
“Let this occasion remind us that no human being should be defined only by his worst moment,”
his message, delivered by the Special Assistant on Humanitarian Affairs, David Igbe Okponya, read further.
He enjoined the inmates not to see their present circumstance as their final destination, noting that “whatever brought you here is part of your history, but it does not have to define the rest of your life.
“Use your time here wisely. Read, study, learn a trade, acquire a skill, and build your character. When the opportunity comes for you to return to your communities, return prepared to contribute positively to your families and to Nigeria.”
There were also testimonies by previous beneficiaries as well as the cutting of the birthday cake with the inmates.
An inmate simply identified as Adeolu, who benefited from the examination sponsorship last year, said “a big thank you” to the Speaker, whom he described as “the foundation builder—that is what we call him in here.”
Another former beneficiary simply identified as Chikwendu gave his testimony of how he switched from science to art, sat for the NECO examination sponsored by Speaker Abbas and got seven distinctions.
He said: “Last year, you were here to plant a seed. I want you to know that, that seed has germinated. We are indebted to our father, the Right Honourable Speaker.”
The Education Desk Officer, DSC Adikwu Owoicho, in his overview, disclosed that over 2,000 inmates have been registered for various educational programmes in the FCT Command, with those registered in 2025 recording encouraging performance in both NABTEB and NECO examinations.
“The Speaker is taking the lead in the number of NECO and NABTEB registration sponsorships nationwide. The NGOs are doing their best, but the Speaker is taking the lead,” he said.
Earlier, the Controller of Corrections, FCT Command, Christopher Peter Jen, who represented the Comptroller General of Corrections, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, MFR, in his welcome address, commended the Speaker complementing the efforts of the NCoS to empower inmates as part of its reformatory efforts.
The CGC described education as a critical pillar of the reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration mandate of the Service. He also advocated for employment opportunities for reformed inmates, noting that they have been reformed and are ready to contribute meaningfully to national development.
In his remarks, the representative of the Deputy Controller General in-charge of Inmates Training and Productivity (ITP), SC Igomu Augustine, appreciated the organizers for remembering the inmates and for supporting the Service to make inmates productive and useful upon re-entry into the society, adding that the Speaker is taking the lead in the registration of inmates for NECO examinations across custodial centres.