PHOTO NEWS : Association of corrupt Nigerians ; Digital corruption meets Analogue corruption

Saraki (Emir of corruption)  meets OBJ (Grand patron of corruption)

Turkish lira crisis may put the naira at risk

The naira may be affected by the ongoing financial turmoil which has seen the Turkish lira lose 40% of its value.

The lira has been in turmoil over worries about the country’s high debt levels, rising inflation, President Tayyip Erdogan’s refusal to consent to an increase in interest rates and tension between the European country and the US.
Erdogan has described his country’s economic problems as an attack; accusing US President Donald Trump of carrying out an operation against Turkey.

He also defended the country’s debt levels saying cheap credit is the way to fuel the economy. Euronews reports that a construction boom in the country has left banks and companies exposed.
Commenting on the risk to the naira, Jameel Ahmad, FTXM’s global head of currency strategy and market research, said investor appetite to emerging-market assets might be reduced.
“Global markets throughout this week are likely to remain dictated by external pressures, with this most likely being encouraged by the intense risks around the Turkish lira crisis,” he said.

“The threat for the Nigerian naira will be that investors continue to remain ‘risk off’ during this period, with a strict reduction in trader appetite towards emerging-market assets.
“This means that emerging market currencies like the naira will be off the table for investors and we can expect for the naira to take guidance from the Lira crisis.

“If the lira continues to worry global investors the naira, like other emerging market currencies, will suffer from the risk-off environment.”
Already, indices on Nigerian Stock Exchange hves been on a downward trend. The South African rand also hit a two-year low on Monday. - TheCable

Horror ! Man arrested with three human skulls in Ibadan

Men of the Oyo State police command on Monday said that they have arrested a man for allegedly being in possession of three human skulls in Ibadan, the state capital.

The 27-year old Sodiq Rasheed, according to the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abiodun Odude, was arrested around Omi Adio.

Odude while parading the suspect, said he was caught during a raid by the police.

Odude said his accomplice was still at large.

The suspect while speaking with journalists said “It was one man that lured me into the crime.

“I helped him to do something and after we discussed, he told me to bring human skull for money ritual.

“I succeded in getting the three head at a cemetery located in a bush in Omi Adio area and after I was caught, he ran away”. - Daily Post

Bribery: Three INEC chiefs granted N100m bail each

The Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday granted bail to three Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials attached to Osun State following their arraignment for alleged money laundering and bribery.

Justice Chuka Obiozor granted them bail for N100m each with one surety in like sum.

The sureties, said the judge, must have landed property in Lagos and present three-year tax clearance.

The judge, who is sitting temporarily during the ongoing annual long vacation, remitted the case file to the Chief Judge for assignment to a substantive judge for trial when the court resumes next month.

The defendants, who had been in Ikoyi Prison since their arraignment on August 1, will remain there until they meet their bail terms.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Gbadegun Abiodun, Oladipo Oladapo and Afolabi Albert on five- count charge of conspiracy to receive millions of naira in cash without going through a financial institution.

EFCC said the trio, on March 30, 2015, conspired to accept cash payment of N177.3million without going through a financial institution.

The Commission said the offence of accepting cash payment exceeding N5million violates Section 18 and is punishable under Section 16 (2) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 as amended by the Act No 2, 2012.

Abiodun, Oladapo and others at large were said to have used N22million in April 2015 which they allegedly obtained through forgery thereby violating Section 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Act.

In Count Four, EFCC said Oladapo and others at large took possession of N3million in cash from Abiodun when he “reasonably ought to have known that the fund was a proceed of your unlawful activity to wit: bribery.” - The Nation

Newest US sanctions against Russia hit an economic nerve

Russia typically brushes off new U.S. sanctions. Not this time.

The Trump administration announcement of export restrictions in response to accusations Moscow used a nerve agent to poison a former Russian spy in Britain sent the ruble tumbling to a two-year low and drew a stern warning from its prime minister. While the initial sanctions may have a limited impact, a second batch expected within months could hit the Russian economy much harder and send already tense relations into a tailspin.

If sanctions are expanded even further to target Russia's top state-controlled banks, freezing their dollar transactions — as proposed under legislation introduced in the Senate this month — it would amount to a "declaration of economic war," Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Friday.

So much for President Donald Trump's hopes for better relations with Moscow.

On his watch, the U.S. has imposed a slew of sanctions on Russia for human rights abuses, meddling in the U.S. election and Russian military aggression in Ukraine and Syria. For the most part, they have punished Russian officials and associates of President Vladimir Putin rather than targeting broad economic sectors.

In 2014, both the U.S. and European Union introduced sanctions that restricted Russia's access to global financial markets and to equipment for new energy projects. Those measures were punishing, but the sanctions announced by the Trump administration this past week could be even worse.

The restrictions were triggered under U.S. law on chemical weapons following a formal U.S. determination that Russia used the Novichok nerve agent to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury in March.

The first tranche, due to take effect Aug. 22, will deny export licenses to Russia for the purchase of many items with national security implications. Existing sanctions already prohibit the export of most military and security-related items, but now the ban will be extended to goods such as gas turbine engines, electronics and calibration equipment that were previously allowed on a case-by-case basis. The State Department said it could potentially affect hundreds of millions of dollars in trade.

"It's a significant step, but not an overwhelming one," said Daniel Fried, a veteran State Department official who served as chief U.S. coordinator for sanctions policy until he retired last year.

The penny could drop, though, in three months' time.

Russia has 90 days to "provide assurances" that it will not use chemical weapons in the future and allow inspections. If Russia does not comply, Trump will be obligated to impose a second set of sanctions, applying restrictions on at least three from a menu of options: opposing multilateral bank assistance to Russia, broad restrictions on exports and imports, downgrading diplomatic relations, prohibiting air carrier landing rights and barring U.S. banks from making loans to the Russian government. That could do significantly more economic harm and have a lasting, destabilizing effect on the currency and stock markets.

Senior Russian lawmaker Vyacheslav Nikonov said a second set of sanctions may be inevitable and predicted it would pitch relations to new low. The relationship is already routinely described as at its worst since the Cold War.

"They are demanding that Russia (accepts) an obligation to refrain from any further use of chemical and bacteriological weapons, which amounts to our acknowledgement that we have used it. But we haven't," he said.

Things could get even worse if the Defending American Security from Kremlin Aggression Act, which a bipartisan group of senators introduced Aug. 2, makes its way through Congress. It would target Russia's state-controlled banks and freeze their operations in dollars, which would deal a heavy blow to the Russian economy. The prospects for the legislation becoming law remain uncertain.

Medvedev warned the U.S. that such a move would cross a red line and would warrant a Russian response by economic, political or "other means" he did not specify. His tough tone was a departure from past nonchalance from Putin and his lieutenants over the impact of Western sanctions on the Russian economy.

Vladimir Vasilyev, a researcher with the Institute of the U.S. and Canada, a government-funded Moscow think tank, said U.S.-Russian ties were now approaching "the point of no return with no prospect for improvement" in sight.

Fried said that in addition to uncertainty over sanctions, Moscow's strong response this time is likely also being fueled by larger inconsistencies in U.S. policy toward Russia. While Trump has hankered for closer ties with Putin, the government he leads has been far less accommodating.

"Whatever deal the Russians had or thought they had or thought they could get from President Donald Trump, they're not able to get it from Trump's administration," Fried said.

The State Department denied inconsistency in U.S. policy and maintained that sanctions were aimed at encouraging improved behavior from Russia. "We'd like to have a better relationship with the Russian government, recognizing that we have a lot of areas of mutual concern," spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

Congress has a less diplomatic view.

Trump has repeatedly come under fire from lawmakers, including from his own Republican Party, for his conciliatory statements on Russia, particularly at his joint press conference with Putin at their summit in Helsinki last month where he appeared to doubt U.S. intelligence conclusions that Russia intervened in the 2016 election.

Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was among lawmakers who welcomed the U.S. sanctions announced this week. "It's critical that we use every tool at our disposal to confront Putin's use of chemical weapons, as well as his efforts to undermine our democracy," the Republican from California said. - AP

Firms in Brexit 'supply shock' as EU workers stay away

Companies are suffering from staff shortages because of a fall in EU nationals coming to the UK, according to new research.

Two in five employers (40%) said they have found it more difficult to fill vacancies during the last 12 months due to a combination of fewer and less suitable applicants.

The number of applicants per vacancy has fallen since last summer across all levels of skilled jobs, a survey of 2,000 employers by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the professional body for HR staff, and recruitment firm Adecco found.

The institute said the shortages had forced more than half of organisations to raise starting salaries to recruit staff - and increase wages to retain existing employees.

The report said that, according to the latest official data, the number of EU-born workers in the UK increased by 7,000 between the first three months of 2017 and the same quarter this year.

This compares with 148,000 during the same period in 2016 to 2017.

The report said the 95% drop had exacerbated existing skills and labour pressures on firms, creating a "supply shock".

The average number of people applying for a low-skilled vacancy has fallen from 24 to 20 in the last year, and from 19 to 15 for medium-skilled jobs.

Gerwyn Davies, of the CIPD, said the trend adds to recruitment challenges especially felt by sectors that rely on non-UK labour to fill roles.

"With skills and labour shortages set to worsen further against the backdrop of rising talk of a 'no deal' outcome with the EU, the need for the government to issue consistent, categorical assurances about the status of current and future EU citizens, whatever the outcome of the negotiations, is more important now than ever," he said.

Alex Fleming, from Adecco, added: "With Brexit looming we're seeing a talent shortage and a more competitive marketplace.

"In this candidate-short landscape the pressure is on employers to not only offer an attractive salary, but also additional benefits.

"In today's environment employment benefits such as healthcare, a strong pension, flexible working and a collaborative and empowering work culture give employers a strong competitive advantage in attracting the best talent."

A government spokesman said: "EU citizens make a huge contribution to our economy and we have been clear from the beginning of this process that we want these citizens and their families in the UK to be able to stay.

"After we leave the EU, the UK will continue to be the open country it has always been. We will have in place an immigration system that delivers control over who comes to the UK, but that welcomes the brightest and best who want to work hard and contribute." - Sky News

Osinbajo to launch technology-based classroom in Abuja

The Ag. President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo will officially launch Smart Classrooms and Digital Education Initiative in Abuja on Tuesday

The launch is geared towards the implementation of strategy that will help establish digital education institute and provision of smart learning classrooms across the country,

The initiative according to the Federal Government will also serve as a model technology-based classroom.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, disclosed this on Monday in a statement by her media assistant, Desmond Utomwen.

According to the Presidential Aide, the Smart Classrooms and Digital Education initiative, which will be implemented in partnership with a Chinese Digital Technology giant, NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited is in line with the commitment of the government to continue to provide quality education to Nigerian children as stipulated in Goal 4 SDGs.

She said the initiative is also designed to facilitate investment in the ICT industry by building IT incubators, digital studios and software outsourcing and taining hubs, towards the creation of new jobs in the area of technology and innovation.

Orelope-Adefulire noted that in the pilot phase of the project, her office would collaborate with NetDragon to provide a smart classroom to Pilot Science Nursery/Primary School in the Federal Capital Territory.

“The Initiative of Digital Education in Africa (IDEA) was initiated by the Nigerian government and NetDragon through the Public Private Partnership and direct Foreign Investment that will facilitate the setting up the National Education Resource Public Service Platform, National Education Community Network Platform, National Digital Talent Training Platform, and National Future Education Experience Centre.” Orelepe-Adefulire stated.

The SSAP-SDGs added that with the initiative, the government aims to provide high-quality digital education resources and a new teaching and collaboration model for basic education in Nigeria, thereby promoting education equity and improving teaching quality.

In terms of lifelong education, she said the Talent Training Platform will carry out lifelong skills training and intelligent management of talents in Nigeria to help Nigeria achieve talent upgrading and optimal allocation of social resources.

“With the initiative, our aim is to use technology to drive the realisation of the SDGs 4, 8 and 9 regarding quality education, economic growth as well as industry & innovation, thereby creating jobs through the e-learning platforms, educational software and Apps as well as other innovations.

“By 2030, we want to ensure all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development.” Orelope-Adefulire stated.

It is also expected that as part of the former launch, an Agreement of Cooperation (AoC) will be signed between the Federal Government and NetDragon. - The Nation

Ezekwesili joins new coalition against APC, PDP, reveals agenda

Mrs Oby Ezekwesili has announced that a new coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) under the umbrella, Summit of the Alternatives (SOTA), was working on a political coalition to restructure Nigeria’s leadership ahead of 2019.

Ezekwesili, one of the members of the group, and convener, Red Card Movement, made this known at a news conference on Monday in Abuja.

Ezekwesili said that the move became imperative because since 1999, several political parties had exhibited a distinct lack of ideology, thereby merely using politics as a platform to seek electoral offices that translated to personal wealth.

She said that the group would partner with the other 66 political parties besides Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) to change the leadership narrative in the country.

“Nigeria’s political system and her leadership have not delivered optimal service for the people in spite of the scale of monetary, natural and human resources abundant within”, NAN quoted her as saying.

“Bereft of vision, the same class comprising generations of a decadent political elite, has undermined the quality of Nigeria’s political leadership in both military and democratic governments.

“The SOTA is in response to the security, political and socio-economic crisis that currently plague Nigeria; the Red Card Movement and other CSOs are partnering to host a gathering termed ‘Summit of the Alternatives.'”

Ezekwesili said that Nigeria was in a precarious situation and needed a sense of urgency to take action, considering the citizens demand for quality leadership.

She said that if Nigerians did not immediately fix the leadership crisis that its democracy had continued to suffer, citizens should have absolutely no basis to expect anything different from previous elections.

She said that the missing link to Nigeria’s development had always been the quality of leadership.

“So, we decided that rather than citizens waiting for the usual cyclical pattern of the candidature of poorly prepared people to govern the country at all levels of elected offices in the 2019, we, as citizens, will work together to define a pathway where the electorate, especially, will begin to think of the quality of candidates that they will be prepared to vote for.

“They will also begin early in the game to send a clear signal to our political class that we no longer want incompetent people, people without credibility or charter to rule us.’’ - Daily Post

Terrible ! Man batters grandson over N1,000 ‘theft’

A 71-year-old man, Rasheed Adebayo, has been arrested for inflicting grievous injury on his grandson, Fuad Badmus.

The incident occurred on Saturday at 18, Ile Ogbo Street, New Oko-Oba, Agege, Lagos.

Adebayo reportedly used maximum force on the boy for allegedly stealing N1,000 and inflicted serious injuries on him.

The Spokesman of Lagos State Police Command, Chike Oti, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), said the matter was reported by a neighbour who was angry with the injuries on the teenager’s body.

He said: “One Chief Jonathan Bakare brought the teenager to the police station and reported that his grandfather unlawfully used a cane to beat him and gave him injury all over his body.

“The suspect was arrested and would be charged to court for assault occasioning harm.” - The Nation

Shocking !!! 29 -year-old farmer punches lover’s mother to death

A farmer, simply identified as Segun Daniel has allegedly killed his lover’s mother, Mrs Beatrice Lajuwomi, at a farm settlement in Igbotako, in the Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State.

It was gathered that the 29-year-old Daniel allegedly had a heated argument with the 42-year-old mother of his lover over the custody of his child, who was said to have been living with the deceased.

The argument was said to have later resulted into a physical combat between them.

It was gathered that Daniel gave the woman some punches and she fell and died.

Beatrice’s daughter, Olamiotan Lajuwomi had a child for the suspect but they were not living together as husband and wife.

It was gathered that there had always been disagreements between the suspect and the family over in whose custody the child should be.

A resident of the area told Punch “On Saturday, he went to the house of his lover’s mother, where his lover and his child were living, and wanted to take his child from the woman but they did not allow him.

“This lead to an argument between him and the woman and fisticuffs later ensued.

“Daniel gave the woman some punches and she collapsed and died shortly after.”

After Beatrice collapsed, the suspect was said to have fled the area and his whereabouts was still not known as of press time.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr Femi Joseph, confirmed the incident and said the command had launched a manhunt for the suspect while investigation was ongoing.

“After committing the crime, the suspect ran away and we have been looking for him.

“I am sure he will be arrested and face the full wrath of the law,” Mr Femi stated.

Angry soldiers ground Maiduguri airport, threaten to shoot superiors

There is currently tension at the Maiduguri international airport in Borno state as angry soldiers are shooting indiscriminately to protest their deployment from the state capital to another local government.

The aggrieved soldiers reportedly arrived at the airport at 6pm ahead of their posting to Marte local government area.

But trouble started when they regrouped and refused to board the aircraft which ought to convey them there.

The soldiers who are of the special forces said after spending over four years in Maiduguri, they ought to be sent back to their families and not to be posted to face death.

An officer who witnessed the incident said superior officers, including Bulami Biu, general officer commander (GOC) of 7 division, were asked to stay off the airport or risk being shot.

“The second batch of pilgrims going for hajj from Borno boarded their flight amid the commotion,” the source said.

“The special forces are ready for trouble. They are really angry. The superiors were asked to stay off or be killed.”

Texas Chukwu, army spokesman, said he could not confirm the development.

“I don’t know about this, let me call an officer there,” he told TheCable.

Disobedience is a punishable offence in the army just as mutiny could attract a heavy penalty such as death sentence.

Some soldiers who were court martialled for disobedience under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan are still in detention up till date.

Many officers involved in the anti- Boko Haram war have accused the military authorities of falling below the expected standard in terms of welfare. - TheCable 

ASUU blasts APC leader, Tinubu over LAUTECH, threatens indefinite strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), LAUTECH chapter has berated the governments of Osun and Oyo, which are joint owners of the university for abandoning the institution despite promises earlier made by the duo.

The union accused Governors Abiola Ajimobi and Rauf Aregbesola of running the citadel aground through their lackadaisical approach to the need of the institution.

The Zonal Coordinator of ASUU in Ibadan, Dr. Ade Adejumo, at a press conference in Osogbo, the Osun state capital, said all conditions spelt out in the Memorandum of Action (MoA) signed with the Governing Council of the school on behalf of the two states have been practically reneged upon with impunity.

He added that the only response the union got after resumption from the protracted strike early this year was the 1bn (one billion Naira) released by the Osun State government, which was used to pay three months salaries.

Adejumo however chided the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Bola Tinubu, who holds sway as the Chancellor of the University for keeping mute while the crisis continues to degenerate.

He wondered the essence of Tinubu retaining the position of the Chancellor if he could not intervene and save the institution from collapse.

“Reneging on agreement reached at the point of suspending the protracted strike, coupled with passive response of the two owner governments towards the present challenges facing the University were indeed an height of irresponsibility on the part of the two governors.

“As I speak to you, every thing is in limbo at LAUTECH. We have almost lost accreditation for all our courses because there is no funding to carry out research and equip our laboratories and libraries.

“Staff are not being motivated to passionately impact knowledge as there are huge backlog of salaries and allowances.

“As a result of this anomaly, many lecturers have left while many have retired, and there has not been replacement in the last 10 years thereby rendering the institution highly understaffed.

“We are calling on the two Governors of Oyo and Osun to let the general public know if they are tired and could no longer fund the University,

“They should come out and disclose their plans for LAUTECH. If they want to liquidate the University, they should be bold enough to tell the whole world that they are doing so.

“We are currently on two weeks warning strike. We are by this action calling the attention of stakeholders to the fact that LAUTECH is on the brink of final disintegration.” - Daily Post

Higher UK rail fares would add insult to injury - Mayors

The mayors of Greater Manchester and the Liverpool city region have demanded a freeze in rail fares after months of travel chaos across the country.

In a joint letter to the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, the mayors Andy Burnham and Steve Rotherham said the anticipated 3.5% rise in fares would “add insult to injury” for beleaguered passengers.

The annual cost of getting to work for many long-distance travellers is expected to rise by more than £150 next year.

The exact increase will be confirmed when the July retail prices index (RPI) measure of inflation is released by the Office for National Statistics on Wednesday, but economists from Investec and the EY Item Club both predict the figure will be announced as 3.5%.

More than 9,000 Northern rail services have been cut from the schedules over the past two months after the introduction of a new timetable, which also caused disruption on various London commuter lines. Thousands of passengers are still waiting to receive enhanced compensation.

The disruption led to the government vetoing further timetable changes expected in December, which means upgrades in areas such as the West Midlands, the west of England and along South Western Railway routes have been cancelled or delayed indefinitely.

In their letter to Grayling, Burnham and Rotherham said the disruption had caused “real damage” to the north of England economy.

Analysis from the Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP), a thinktank set up by the former chancellor George Osborne, found £38m had been lost to the northern English economy on Northern trains alone this summer, and up to £1.3m a day at the height of the crisis.

“The rail industry has caused real misery for thousands of passengers across the north,” the Labour mayors said. “Not only have people lost time at work or with their families, they have had to shell out for taxis, extra childcare and even hotel bills because of the continuing disruption.

“To ask these long-suffering passengers now to pay even more for a poor, unreliable service is to add insult to injury. A freeze in the current fares is the very least that passengers deserve.” - The Guardian  

BOI : 2 million Nigerians to benefit from FG loan initiative programme

To boost its financial inclusion agenda for all Nigerians regardless of social class and economic status, the Buhari administration has launched a new initiative under the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), called the TraderMoni.

The new initiative will empower two million petty traders between now and the end of the year.

The scheme, which was launched last week in Lagos, would grant a minimum of 30,000 loans in each State of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

All together, the 2 million mark is expected to be attained on or before the end of this year, with petty traders in Lagos, Kano and Abia States set to be the first round of beneficiaries to draw the collateral free loans.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the Acting President, Laolu Akande on Sunday night.

He said that in addition to the 30,000 loans per State, States with larger populations like Lagos and Kano are expected to get more than 30,000 loans.

He said “Across the country, especially in the pilot states, about 500,000 potential beneficiaries have so far been enumerated.

“In order to identify the beneficiaries, no less than 4,000 enumeration agents have been engaged by the Bank of Industry which is deploying the new scheme.

“TraderMoni is designed to help petty traders expand their trade through the provision of collateral free loans of N10, 000. The loans are repayable within a period of six months.

“Under the scheme, beneficiaries can get access to a higher facility ranging from N15, 000 to N50, 000 when they repay N10, 000 within the stipulated time period.

“The goal of the Buhari Administration is to use the TraderMoni to take financial inclusion down to the grassroots, the bottom of the ladder, considering the contribution of petty traders to economic development. The Federal Government is also aware of the fact that many of the petty traders don’t have what the commercial banks require to grant them loans.

“This administration is keen to ensure that such traders at that level are able to build their businesses and grow.

“TraderMoni was launched last Tuesday in five markets in Lagos State, with tens of thousands beneficiaries already.”

The Lagos markets already reached, he said, are Mushin, Ikotun, Agege, Ketu, and Abule Egba markets.

“Beneficiaries are already heaping praise on the Buhari administration for this initiative that will improve their businesses.

“A trader in one of the Lagos markets, Anna Enwerem, thanked President Buhari for the initiatives. “I sell clothes. This N10, 000 would do a lot for me and my children. I like this programme so much. I will pay the loan before six months’ time. Before I didn’t believe it, but now that I have received my money I believe,” she said.

“Similarly, Chief Mrs Mufiat Adewumi, a market women leader in Lagos, said it will help ordinary Nigerians who cannot have access to commercial banks’ credit facilities because they don’t have collateral, “We are happy about the TraderMoni because this is what we have been expecting for long, and that the Government should assist the masses, especially the traders. We thank the Federal Government so much,” he stated. - The Nation

Prisons authority : 157 inmates set to write WASSCE, as two pursue PhD

The Prisons Command in Lagos says education behind bars is getting more interesting with two of its inmates already pursuing their PhDs at the Kirikiri Maximum Prison.

The Controller of Prisons, Lagos Command, Mr Tunde Ladipo disclosed this in an interview with our reporter, on Monday in Lagos.

According to him, there is a renewed interest in education among the inmates across the various prisons in the state.

He said that the progress and courage exhibited by the two PhD inmates at the maximum prison had sparked off a new zeal for academic pursuit among other inmates.

“The command is committed in ensuring that no inmate is left behind in terms of education, as this is part of the reformation we are carrying out.

“Sometime around May or June, two of the inmates who have acquired their Masters degrees enrolled for their PhD in the newly established National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) centre at the Kirikiri facility.

“One of the inmates is studying Business Management and the other, Peace and Conflict Resolution, and the Vice Chancellor of the NOUN who personally presented them with the letter approving their PhD courses said it is tuition free.

“To us, this is ground breaking and very encouraging, as they have shown that they are not limited by the situation they find themselves. And that is part of the essence of our on-going reformation across the prisons.

“As a result of this, the command is also witnessing an increase of enrollment of inmates into various categories of learning at the various prisons schools.

“We are indeed happy with the establishment of the new NOUN centre at the Kirikiri Prison, with state-of-the art facilities such as ultra modern and well stocked library, computers and air conditioners,” Ladipo told our reporter.

According to him, a total of 157 inmates across the prisons in the state have registered for the upcoming second series of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates.

Giving a breakdown of the statistics of the inmates from the various facilities, he said that 91 of the inmates were from the Ikoyi Prisons, 12 from the Female Prisons, 14 from from the Medium and 40 from the Maximum Prisons.

Ladipo said that preparations were in top gear for the examination at the various facilities, to ensure that the inmates come out in flying colours.

The state controller said that empowering the inmates with education would go a long way in restoring confidence in them, as well as make them less dependent persons, whenever they regained freedom.

“I will like to commend the Federal government for its commitment in exposing the inmates to life-changing reforms that are ongoing currently in the prisons, through education and skills acquisition.

“It is worthy to note that government, through the Controller General of Prisons, Ja’afaru Ahmed, recently donated books to facilities across the country for improved research, teaching and learning for the inmates.

“This, coupled with the new facilitators we have engaged to complement the existing ones in facilities, will go a long way in improving the performance of the inmates during the WASSCE examination.

“Aside intervention from the Federal government in preparing the inmates for the examination, a bank also presented cash donation as well as some fans, in an effort to upgrade the facilities for conducive teaching and learning,” he said.