No fewer than 23 inmates of the Enugu Custodial Centre bagged first degree, master’s, and postgraduate diploma at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) on Saturday, April 13, 2024.

Five of them bagged master’s degrees, 17 bagged their first degrees, while one got a postgraduate diploma.

The 23 are products of NOUN’s study centre at the custodial facility that completed their various courses within four or five years.

The Enugu State Coordinator of NOUN, Nigerian Correctional Service, Jennifer Nwonyi, who presented the degrees and diploma to the inmates at a virtual convocation held at the Enugu Custodial Centre, said the graduates defied all odds to attain great heights.

Nwonyi said: “I am overwhelmed with joy that God granted these students the grace to complete their studies to become graduates of NOUN.

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“Thank God that these graduates overcame the psychological challenge of attending to the rigours of years of study while being held at the custodial centre.

“I say congratulations to our graduates and wish them great advancements as we have prepared them to face and overcome future challenges when they leave the custodial centre.”

Speaking at the event, the Deputy Controller of Corrections in charge of Enugu Maximum Custodial Centre, Sunday Oyakhire, thanked NOUN for organising the courses and for providing facilitators.

In his remarks, the correctional centre’s Desk Officer for  NOUN programmes, Arinzechukwu Onovo,  enjoined the graduates to continue to search for knowledge, saying: “It is the key to unlock many potentials.

“We had a greater number of graduates of NOUN courses this year than we had last year.

“We will continue to encourage more inmates to take advantage of free educational reformation available at the correctional facility in partnership with NOUN.”

The Star