By Vincent Ujumadu
The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election and former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has paid the National Examination Council (NECO) fees for 148 inmates in correctional centres across Anambra State.
Obi presented a cheque of ₦4.741 million to cover examination fees and related logistics for the inmates, who are sitting for the Senior School Certificate Examination in four correctional centres in the state.
The beneficiaries comprise 50 inmates from Awka, 36 from Onitsha, 25 from Nnewi, and 37 from Aguata correctional centres.
During an unannounced visit to the NECO office in Awka, Obi handed over the cheque to the Anambra State Coordinator of NECO, Mrs. Emilia Njoku. He explained that the intervention followed a visit by representatives of inmates from the four correctional centres, who met him in Onitsha to explain their challenges.
According to Obi, although NECO had approved the inmates’ participation in the examinations, a letter of undertaking from a guarantor was required to enable payment of the fees. He said he immediately provided the undertaking, guaranteeing payment.
Obi added that after he shared the intervention on social media, the Nigerian Friendship Association, USA, through its non-profit arm, Friendship Association Education Assistance, Inc., reached out to express interest in supporting the initiative.
He described their response as inspiring, noting that collective goodwill can help restore dignity and create opportunities, not only for the current beneficiaries but also for future candidates. Obi assured that the payment of NECO fees for inmates would be sustained in subsequent years.
He stressed that education remains a vital tool for rehabilitation and reintegration, recalling his recent visit to California State University, Sacramento, USA, where he observed rehabilitation-focused programmes for disadvantaged and formerly incarcerated persons. He reiterated that correctional centres should function as true centres of reform, with education at the heart of their mandate.
In her response, the Anambra State Coordinator of NECO, Mrs. Njoku, expressed surprise at Obi’s unannounced visit, noting that staff were initially taken aback when a convoy arrived at the office, only to discover that Obi had come personally to present a cheque covering the examination fees for inmates across the state.
She recalled that previous appeals to individuals and organisations to assist in paying the NECO fees had yielded no results, adding that she was pleasantly surprised that Obi voluntarily provided the undertaking and paid the full amount.
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