Jolly Nyame, a former governor of Taraba state, expressed delight over the free haircut given to his fellow inmates at the Kuje prison, Abuja, on Christmas day.

According to NAN, the National Association of Barbers and Salon Employers of Nigeria (NABSEN) paid a visit to the correction centre on Tuesday and gave 300 of the inmates free haircut.

Although Nyame did not get any haircut, he said his co-inmates were “looking so beautiful and radiant”.

Nyame described the gesture by NABSEN as “touching”, saying he had never seen the inmates that happy since he was remanded in prison in May.

He said the NABSEN initiative was “very excellent’’, adding that his co-inmates would “always remember this show of concern”.

“They (prison inmates), are very happy; they are looking so beautiful and radiant on Christmas day,’’ Nyame said.

“There is a rush for the service. Everyone wants to come out for the haircut. It is difficult to control them. There is a rumble inside the yard. I have never seen the inmates this happy since I came here.”

The ex-governor is serving a 12-year jail term for misappropriating funds while he was in charge of Taraba between 1999 and 2007.

He was charged on 41 counts of fraud but found guilty of 27.

His sentence was formerly for 14 years, but in November, the court of appeal in Abuja reduced his sentence by two years and ordered him to pay a fine of N495 million.

Editor’s note: This picture was used for illustrative purposes