Nyame: I learned a lot in Kuje prison | I’ll do better if given opportunity

Jolly Nyame, a former governor of Taraba, says his four-year experience at the Kuje medium correction facility has moulded him into a better leader.

Nyame was the governor of Taraba from 1999 to 2007.

He spoke at a thanksgiving service that took place at the secretariat of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Jalingo, the state capital, on Thursday.

Nyame said if given another opportunity, he would be a better leader to the people of Taraba.

“I learned a lot while in Kuje Prison and the hospital. If given another opportunity to lead the people of Taraba State, I will do better because of the experience I have gained,” he said.

In April 2022, at a council of state meeting, former President Muhammadu Buhari pardoned 159 inmates, including Nyame, who was jailed for fraud in 2018.

The decision was criticised by Nigerians who viewed it as a setback to the nation’s fight against corruption.

 A few months later, Nyame was released from the correctional facility in Kuje area council area of the federal capital territory (FCT).

Nyame was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment in 2018 for diverting public funds to the tune of N1.64 billion.

He was pardoned by the former president on the grounds of age and ill health.

Prior to the presidential pardon, his sentence had been reduced to 12 years in 2020, following a ruling by the supreme court which affirmed the judgment of the court of appeal on the matter.