60th Birthday: Abbas Pays 100 Inmates’ NECO, NABTEB Fees, Secures Release of Nine

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Wednesday paid registration fees for 100 inmates to sit for the 2025 National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) and National Examinations Council (NECO) tests at Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja.

While 57 will sit for NABTEB examination, 43 were registered for NECO.

Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Leke Baiyewu, in a statement issued Wednesday revealed the Speaker also secured the release of nine inmates to mark his 60th birthday.

He said the Speaker was represented by his Deputy Chief of Staff (Legislative), Dr. Chamberlain Dunku, who led several senior aides to the presentation ceremony on Tuesday.

Abbas said: “Identifying with the (Nigerian Correctional) Service in the area of quality transformation of inmates through education is a cause that is very close to my heart.

“This celebration goes beyond personal milestones; it is about extending hope, giving second chances and investing in the future of our brothers and sisters who, though confined today, still carry within them the potential for greatness tomorrow.

“The registration of inmates for the 2025 NABTEB and NECO is not merely an academic exercise — it is a statement of faith in human dignity and redemption. It is a reminder that conviction is not condemnation, and that every life, when given the right opportunity, can be transformed.”

Abbas reaffirmed the commitment of the House to policies and initiatives that promote education, justice and opportunities for all Nigerians – inside and outside the correctional facilities.

Moved by an inmate’s story, Dunkwu, in his personal capacity, gave a cash gift of N1 million to Chikwendu Hart, who is currently pursuing a doctorate at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), and has published seven books while awaiting trial for 13 years.

Also, in Zaria on Wednesday, Abbas spent over N3 million on bail bonds, securing the release of nine inmates from the Zaria Medium Correctional Centre.

The beneficiaries are Ibrahim Dan’asabe (N240,000), Kabir Ibrahim (N180,000), Ibrahim Ahmed (N60,000), Haruna Musa (N350,000), Aliyu Tukur (N390,000), Prince Wadilor Wodu (N326,000), Mustapha Abubakar (N410,000), Sagir Sani (N685,000) and Shehu Abubakar (N440,000).

 Abbas donated food items to IDPs at the Kabusa Camp. The palliatives include over 1000 bags of rice.

This is just as his wife, Hajia Fatima Tajudeen, donated N2 million to the IDPs, while both the Deputy Chief of Staff (Legislative), Dr. Chamberlain Nnamdi Dunkwu; and the Deputy Chief of Staff (Administration), Alhaji Ilyasu Balarabe, donated N1 million.

Chairman of the House Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Hon Chike Okafor, who also announced a N1million gift to the IDPs in support of the Speaker’s humanitarian gesture, described Abbas as “a national asset.”

Medical personnel from Nizamiye Hospital, Abuja, were also on the ground to offer free healthcare services to the IDPs as part of the humanitarian services in honour of the Speaker.