NATIONAL: I signed NOUN’s amended law to bring education to doorsteps of Nigerians – Buhari

PRESIDENT Buhari has said that he signed the amended law of the National Open University of Nigeria without delay to put an end to the baseless discrimination against graduates of the university.

Buhari said his action has resolved the long-term non-recognition of the products of NOUN in the country noting that the institution has democratised learning through its unconventional academic programme.

He said this on Saturday during the university’s combined 9th and 10th Convocation Ceremony which was held virtually.

The president, who was represented by the National Universities Commission (NUC) Deputy Executive Secretary, Ramon Yusuf, stated: “NOUN is delivering on its mandate by taking education to the doorstep of Nigerians.”

Buhari, who is the university visitor, added that his administration has placed a great premium on education, especially in ensuring a lifelong learning via the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode.

While commending the university’s management in continuing to expand access to higher education, the president acknowledged that NOUN has remained the only single-mode ODL institution in Nigeria.

On his part, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu, said the combined ceremony has seen the graduation of a total of 32,725 students from various courses of study in undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

Adamu, whose tenure will end on February 10, 2021, noted that the incursion of Covid-19 pandemic into the country and the lockdown imposed to curb its spread caused the postponement of the convocation for the 2020 set.

Giving a breakdown of the number of graduands produced in each year, the VC disclosed that a total of 24,300 graduands were drawn from the year 2020 while 8,425 graduands completed their academic programmes in 2021.

He maintained that this latest batch of graduands made it a cumulative 80,418 students who graduated within his five-year stint at the university.

The Vice-Chancellor said, “It became necessary to hold a combined convocation due to inability to hold the 9th convocation in March 2020 due to Covid-19 pandemic.

“The virtual convocation is not the first in the country due to Covid-19 restriction, but it is the most significant in leading way to the largest single event mass graduation of students in the history of higher education in the country.”

Adamu attributed the achievements recorded during his tenure to “dedication and singular focus in moving the university from a static provider of ODL to dynamic process of transformation of higher education delivery models in Africa.”

The Chancellor of the university, His Royal Highness, Amb. (Dr.) Lawrence O.C. Agubuzu, thanked the federal government for its support to the university.

On his part, the chairman, Governing Council, Professor Peter Okebukola, said the combined convocation conducted virtually was unique in many ways, as it will set standard for other universities in Nigeria.

He said, “This is the last convocation under the leadership of Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu, whose five years go down as the best in the annals of the university.”