Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has affirmed that the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is on par with other universities in the country.
He made this remark on Monday while receiving a delegation from the university during a courtesy visit and alumni award presentation.
Drawing from his personal experience with the institution, Obasanjo vouched for the quality of education offered by NOUN.
He recalled that Nigeria initially had only one university—the University of Ibadan—for about a decade. Over time, a second wave of universities, including federal and state institutions, emerged, followed by a third generation consisting of private universities.
Despite these developments, Obasanjo noted that significant gaps remained in access to university education, which led to the creation of NOUN.
The institution, he said, was established to provide flexible learning opportunities, particularly for working individuals and those in need of distance education.
“Despite the availability of universities, we’re still not coping; the gaps kept getting wider, which was why I said the Open University is a necessity; it created more avenues and made it convenient for working-class citizens.
“Some people rose up, saying an open university is inferior to non-open universities, but I was not discouraged.
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“I said, let me go there and have a taste of what they’re saying it is inferior. Then I came in, I saw, and I conquered.
“Two distinguished lecturers supervised me and supervised many other PhD students, and if they supervised me successfully, my PhD wouldn’t be inferior.
“So, if mine isn’t inferior and those before me are not inferior, National Open University has come to stay; at some point, we were more than half a million, and we are still growing,” Obasanjo said.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo reaffirmed his unwavering support for the institution and its mission.
Professor Ganiyat Adesina-Uthman, Director of the Directorate of Advancement and Linkages (DAL) at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), described the university as a significant asset not only to Nigeria and its people but also to other African nations.
She emphasized that NOUN is not just a federal institution but a unique university in Africa — the largest of its kind on the continent.
According to her, the university was established to contribute to Nigeria’s human capital development, aligning with international standards for manpower per 1,000 population to drive a sustainable, knowledge-based economy. She noted that NOUN also plays a vital role in training human capital for neighbouring countries.
Professor Adesina-Uthman appealed to Obasanjo to support scholarship opportunities for the university’s top programmes, including those recognized as flagship courses.
She further outlined some of the university’s key needs, such as renaming buildings in honour of donors, establishing a university hospital, constructing a 50-room guest house, and building a 1,000-capacity auditorium, among other infrastructure projects.
“We need scholarships for some of our flagship programmes, including Entrepreneurship Studies, Criminology and Security Studies, Mass Communication, Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution, and Indigenous Students, too.
“We also want our Advancement and Linkages building named after the donor; University Hospital, 50 rooms; and NOUN Guest House, a 1000-capacity auditorium.
“Also, community services to our study centres’ host communities, such as consumables to primary and secondary schools in our host communities, e.g., customised textbooks and uniforms; water and toilet provisions; bus stop stands and so on,” she said.
Prof. Wilfred Ngwuanyi, Director of the Olusegun Obasanjo Centre for African Studies at NOUN, praised former President Olusegun Obasanjo for his intellectual depth, strategic vision, and unwavering commitment to African self-reliance. He called on Obasanjo to support the centre in fostering collaboration with the EFCC on research and publications.
Ngwuanyi also appealed for the former president’s help in securing partnership with the Chinese Embassy to establish a Chinese Cultural Centre.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), a key moment of the event was the conferment of the Alumni Award on the former president.
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