- Academic exploits of two life prisoners show there could be life after prison
Two life prisoners, Tunwashe Kabiru and Oladipupo Moshood, who earned master’s degrees from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), have shown that a life sentence is not the end of life. There is life in prison and there can be life after prison.
It was symbolic that the prisoners received their certificates from NOUN Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adamu Abdalla, on April 18, when he visited the Kirikiri Prisons, Lagos, which is a special study centre for the Open and Distance Learning institution. Another inmate, Alegbe Afolabi, earned a bachelor’s degree. The presence of the Comptroller-General of Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS), Alhaji Ja’afaru Ahmed, underlined the significance of the event.
For obvious reasons, the graduands were unable to attend the 6th convocation of NOUN in January, in Abuja, when 5, 976 students graduated, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Interestingly, Tunwashe, who studied Business Administration, and Moshood, who studied Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution, are reportedly set to pursue doctoral degree programmes at the same institution.
It is noteworthy that Tunwashe, who has spent more than 10 years in prison, highlighted the role NOUN played in his success story. NOUN should be commended for offering prison inmates in the country, who are qualified for university education, free tuition across disciplines from undergraduate years up to doctoral degree level to expand access to university education. To the university’s credit, there are 420 inmates currently studying under its Open and Distance Learning system, which involves more of self-study and less of classroom work.
In January, for instance, an inmate of the Enugu Maximum Security Prison, Chukwununso Nomeh, emerged the overall best post-graduate student of NOUN Prisons Special Study Centres nationwide. He was sentenced in 2010. He studied for a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) and reportedly graduated with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.80. Also, an ex-convict at the same centre, Theophilus Adeniyi, emerged the overall best graduating student in 2014 while he was a prisoner.
Inmates who decided to take advantage of NOUN’s gesture have demonstrated that being a convict should not be a barrier to self-improvement. If more inmates get interested in NOUN, in addition to vocational training available in the prisons, it would help to keep them positively busy and aid their reformation.
Testimony by Tunwashe endorsing NOUN showed the transformative power of education. He was quoted as saying: “I am now more than equipped with requisite knowledge and skills as well as attitudinal behaviour that will help me to excel in my career and other endeavours in the outside world because I strongly believe God will intervene in my matter.” This is a picture of hope based on effort. It is interesting that a life prisoner is thinking of life after prison. It suggests that Tunwashe is studying to prepare himself for possible post-prison life.
In this case, education may well play a redemptive role. There is no doubt that these graduate prisoners are no longer at the level at which they entered prison. They are expected to have benefitted from the civilising influence of university education, which should count in their favour towards being granted parole. If education gave them a chance to change, why should society not give them a chance to demonstrate that they have indeed changed?
Stigmatisation of ex-convicts is an issue that needs to be addressed. The NPS Comptroller-General notably focused on the issue during the Kirikiri graduation ceremony, and spoke about the agency’s efforts to ensure that ex-convicts do not suffer stigmatisation in the labour market and outside prison generally. This is a social problem that requires a social solution. The battle against stigmatisation of ex-convicts should involve not only the prisons agency but society as a whole.
