36 Ikoyi inmates Begin Academic Journey With NOUN
By Sherif Salau
36 inmates from the Ikoyi Custodial Centre have been matriculated by the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), including two aspiring PhD candidates.
The group comprises 25 undergraduates, nine master’s degree students and two candidates for the Doctor of Philosophy. For the Nigerian Correctional Service and NOUN, the matriculation marks another step in a partnership designed to treat education as a practical tool for rehabilitation rather than a privilege reserved for those outside the walls.
Controller of Corrections for the Lagos State Command, Daramola George, told the new students that the opportunity carried responsibility. He urged them to remain disciplined and committed to their studies, describing access to higher education as a pathway to personal development and stronger prospects after release. Education, he said, can equip inmates with knowledge, confidence and skills that enable them to contribute positively once they return to society.
Prof. Inua Ofe, Director of NOUN’s Lagos Study Centre on Victoria Island, formally welcomed the matriculants into the university community and administered the matriculation oath. Also present were a representative of the Assistant Controller-General of Corrections for Zone A, Raphael Unazi, and Deputy Controller of Corrections Adebukola Adetula. Representatives of organisations that support correctional rehabilitation — including Baptist Prison Ministry, House on the Rock, TREM and BITS BY MANI — attended, underscoring the role of external partners in sustaining educational programmes behind bars.
The open and distance learning model of NOUN has made it possible for inmates across several custodial centres to pursue degrees without leaving the facilities. Officials of the Correctional Service have repeatedly framed the initiative as more than academic credentialing. Educated inmates, they argue, are better prepared for reintegration and less likely to return to crime. The Ikoyi ceremony fits into a wider pattern of similar matriculations and graduations at centres in other states, reflecting a sustained effort to expand access rather than treat it as an occasional gesture.
The immediate reality remains the custodial setting. Lectures, study materials and assessments will reach them through the arrangements NOUN and the Correctional Service have put in place. The longer view is different. A degree earned under these conditions becomes both a personal achievement and a practical asset — evidence that time spent in custody need not be time lost to learning.
The ceremony closed with the usual formalities, yet its significance lies in the quiet decision it represents: that the walls of a custodial centre need not mark the end of an educational journey. For these 36 inmates, a new chapter of study has begun. What they make of it will help determine the shape of the lives they eventually rebuild beyond the gates.
