By Sunday Abah, Abuja
The Vice Chancellor (VC), National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Professor Uduma Oji Uduma, has vowed to embark on purposeful transformation anchored on vision, driven by discipline, and sustained by measurable impact during his tenure in office.
The VC, who is the sixth since the inception of the institution, gave the hint while delivering his address during the university’s 15th Convocation held at its national headquarters in Abuja on Saturday, 11 April, 2026.
According to him, personally and institutionally, the convocation bears a distinctive significance, being the first he had the honour to preside over as Vice-Chancellor of the Ivory Tower.
He said: “This occasion, therefore, is not merely ceremonial — it is symbolic. It marks the convergence of responsibility and vision, of inheritance and intention.
“When I assumed office on the 11th of February 2026, I did so with a clear and unwavering conviction: that this University must not merely participate in the evolving landscape of higher education—it must help to define it. The period 2026–2031, therefore, represents not just a cycle of administration, but a deliberate phase of transformation — anchored on vision, driven by discipline, and sustained by measurable impact.
“At the heart of this agenda lies a simple but profound idea: that education must be accessible, meaningful, and transformative.
“The transformation of the National Open University of Nigeria is not an abstract aspiration — it is a measurable, ongoing reality, anchored firmly on technology, research, and infrastructure as the tripartite pillars of institutional advancement.”
Expatiating on this, he said: “NOUN has continued to invest strategically in technology as the backbone of its Open and Distance Learning mandate. With the sustained support of TETFund, the University has recorded major milestones in the development of its digital infrastructure.
“The completion of the first phase of the Fibre Optics Infrastructure Project for Internet Connectivity at the University Headquarters and in twenty-three major study centres across state capitals has significantly enhanced access to online resources while improving staff productivity and institutional efficiency.”
He added that the second phase of this project was already in progress, extending connectivity to twenty-eight study centres across 16 state capitals and 12 additional communities nationwide.
“Looking ahead,” he said, “TETFund has slated the third phase of its ICT intervention for 2026 — an intervention that will not only deepen connectivity but also strengthen critical academic units such as the Centre for Entrepreneurship and General Studies and the Career and Counselling Services Centre, while expanding both the number and diversity of institution-based and national research projects.
“Our university library system continues to benefit from enhanced support, with additional online resources and equipment deployed at the headquarters and across study centres, thereby ensuring that knowledge remains both accessible and current.”
According to him, much has also been achieved in terms of keying into the digital innovation of the 21st century to overcome challenges.
He said: “A defining milestone in our digital evolution has been the migration of institutional systems to Amazon Web Services (AWS). This transition has effectively resolved longstanding challenges relating to scalability, security, and interoperability, while aligning NOUN with global best practices in digital education.
“The establishment of a modern University Data Centre — equipped with dedicated power systems and advanced cooling infrastructure — alongside the centralisation of our web ecosystem under http://nou.edu.ng, and the provision of backup internet connectivity at the headquarters, have collectively strengthened data governance, improved system uptime, and reinforced a unified digital identity for the University.
“Today, NOUN sustains the largest single-instance Moodle-based Learning Management System in the West African sub-region, supporting over 180,000 active users, delivering more than 2,000 courses per semester, and accommodating up to 10,000 concurrent users.
“This scale is not merely technical; it is transformational. Continuous pedagogical redesign and the integration of learning analytics are further enhancing student engagement, retention, and learning outcomes.”
Speaking further on the digital milestones, the VC noted: “The establishment of the Software Development Unit (SDU) has equally strengthened institutional efficiency. Through this unit, innovative platforms such as the NOUN Biometric Enrolment and Attendance System, the NOUN e-Counselling System, and the NOUN Staff Training and Development Portal have been developed and deployed.
“The ongoing digitisation of University processes continues to improve operational effectiveness and institutional responsiveness. We remain profoundly grateful to the Executive Secretary of TETFund and its Board for their steadfast support.
“As we look ahead, we seek continued partnership in strengthening our ICT resources, expanding our data centre capacity, procuring additional computer systems for collaborations with federal ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), and supporting our role in hosting Computer-Based Tests for national bodies such as JAMB and NECO across our study centres.”
According to the VC, NOUN’s research enterprise has recorded remarkable progress, reflecting a deliberate commitment to scholarly excellence and global competitiveness.
“Through the Senate Research Grant (SRG) scheme, fifty-two faculty members received funding across diverse disciplines, while seventy-one researchers secured TETFund Institutional-Based Research (IBR) awards, alongside a National Research Fund (NRF) grant — collectively strengthening our contribution to national development priorities.
“The maiden NOUN Research Week in 2025, alongside major international conferences — including MoodleMoot Africa hosted in Abuja — provided high-profile platforms for showcasing research outputs, fostering collaboration, and reinforcing NOUN’s identity as a research-active ODL institution.
“Our researchers have continued to attract international funding, including grants from the British Council supporting initiatives such as the Women in Digital Empowerment Network (WIDEN) project and the Exploratory Transnational Education project in collaboration with leading global universities.
“Through RETRIDOL, supported by the Commonwealth of Learning, NOUN has coordinated regional research in Open Educational Resources, Inclusive Learner Support, and Authentic Assessment, positioning the University as a hub for innovation in distance education across West Africa.”
According to Prof. Uduma, the Africa Centre of Excellence on Technology-Enhanced Learning (ACETEL) has continued to drive innovation through postgraduate programmes in Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Management Information Systems. Its contributions include the development of virtual internship models, remote supervision systems, and virtual laboratories, while also facilitating broader institutional digital transformation.
Reeling out more of the achievements, the VC said: “In 2025, NOUN achieved a historic milestone with the establishment of two internationally recognised Centres of Excellence: the upgraded TETFund Centre for Migration and Global Studies, and the UNESCO Category 2 International Media and Information Literacy Institute (IMILI). These centres position NOUN as a continental leader in research, policy engagement, and digital citizenship education.
“The establishment of the NOUN Drosophila Laboratory in January 2026 marks another frontier — promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, postgraduate research opportunities, and positioning the University as an emerging regional hub for scientific innovation.
“Notably, the University has recorded its first three research patents — spanning healthcare innovation, natural products, and cosmetics — while additional innovations continue to gain national recognition. These achievements affirm NOUN’s transition from knowledge dissemination to knowledge creation.
NOUN’s stature continues to grow across Africa and globally. Through its leadership role in the African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) and recognition within the International Council for Distance Education (ICDE), the University stands as a benchmark for quality ODL delivery.
My appointment as First Vice-President of ACDE, alongside the ICDE Prize of Excellence awarded to the immediate past Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Peters, reflects this growing global influence.”
Away from technology, the VC highlighted laudable infrastructure projects, both executed and ongoing, across the nation. He said: “The Directorate of Physical Planning and Development continues to coordinate the planning, design, construction, and evaluation of projects across the nation.
“In the past year, key projects completed include academic and administrative buildings in Badagry and Michika, laboratories in Ikorodu, critical road infrastructure in Ado-Ekiti and Abuja, and student accommodation facilities in Dutse-Ahaji.
“Ongoing projects span e-examination halls, ICT buildings, faculty structures, internal road networks, and conference facilities across multiple study centres and the Headquarters.
“At the design stage are additional auditoriums, administrative buildings, staff office complexes, and recreational infrastructure — all aimed at enhancing the learning environment and institutional functionality.”
Describing NOUN in relation to the achievements, the VC said, “What emerges from this overview is not merely a catalogue of achievements — it is a coherent narrative of transformation.
“It is the story of a university that is not standing still, but moving forward; not reacting to change, but shaping it; not constrained by limitations, but expanding possibilities. For in the final analysis, the strength of a university is not measured only by the number of its graduates, but by the quality of its systems, the depth of its research, the reach of its access, and the impact of its vision.
“And in all these, the National Open University of Nigeria stands firmly, confidently, and unmistakably — at the forefront.
“In this regard, my Agenda 2026–2031 is not an abstraction; it is actionable. It is our roadmap for transforming possibility into reality.”
The much-awaited moment came when the VC announced the academic feat achieved that brought stakeholders together at the Ivory Tower’s headquarters in Abuja and all study centres in state capitals across the country.
At the 15th Convocation of the National Open University of Nigeria, a total of 24,575 students were awarded various qualifications of the university. They include 17,474 undergraduate degrees, 1,788 postgraduate diplomas, 5,282 master’s degrees, and 31 doctoral degrees.
Expatiating on the figures, he said, “These numbers are precise in arithmetic, yet expansive in implication. They represent not merely academic progression, but existential determination — the insistence of the human spirit to rise above limitation, to transform constraint into opportunity, and to convert aspiration into achievement.
“Within this broad accomplishment lies a further layer of academic distinction reflected in the classes of degrees awarded. Among the undergraduate graduands, 57 attained First Class Honours (approximately 0.3%), 2,505 earned Second Class Honours (Upper Division) (about 14.3%), 8,541 graduated with Second Class Honours (Lower Division) (approximately 48.9%), 4,149 obtained Third Class degrees (about 23.7%), while 234 completed their programmes with Pass degrees (approximately 1.3%).
“To those who have attained First Class Honours, we offer our highest commendation. Yet, as Aristotle teaches, ‘excellence is not an act, but a habit.’ Excellence, therefore, is not the monopoly of classification.
“These figures, while statistical in form, are deeply human in meaning. They reflect not only levels of academic performance, but the varied conditions under which learning was pursued—the pressures, responsibilities, and life circumstances that shape individual journeys.
“Those in the Second Class categories have demonstrated consistency and intellectual maturity.
“Those in the Third Class and Pass categories have demonstrated something equally profound — resilience: the refusal to yield, the determination to continue, and the discipline to finish.”
Having announced the academic performance of the graduating students, the VC explained that everybody cannot attain the same grade, and that what matters more is not the grade but how one is able to use the knowledge gained for development.
He said: “And in the final analysis, it is not the classification of a degree that defines the graduate, but the contribution that follows it. Across our Faculties, this achievement finds expression in diverse fields of human inquiry and endeavour — each discipline contributing to the intellectual architecture of a nation in motion.
“This graduating cohort represents one of the largest single-year university graduations in Nigeria. It stands as a powerful testament to the growing confidence in Open and Distance Learning as a credible and transformative pathway to higher education.”
Hailing the uniqueness of NOUN relative to conventional universities, Prof. Uduma said, “In contemporary discourse, Elon Musk has cautioned that schooling does not necessarily produce education. Open and Distance Learning challenges that assumption.
“Here, learning is self-driven, distributed, and active. Education becomes not attendance, but discipline of the mind. It produces graduates who are not merely certificated, but capable. In this regard, the National Open University of Nigeria does not stand at the margins — it stands at the frontier of educational transformation.
“Even more profoundly, the composition of this cohort reveals the moral depth of this institution. Among those we celebrate today are fifty-six inmates from correctional centres who have successfully completed their programmes under the University’s scholarship initiative.”
In ending his speech, the VC solicited support from government and other stakeholders to sustain the momentum of growth being witnessed by the institution.
“I therefore call on government, financial institutions, NGOs, philanthropists, and industry to support the National Open University of Nigeria directly in sustaining and expanding this transformative initiative.
“Permit me here to underscore that my Agenda 2026–2031 is an informed commitment to expanding structured access, strengthening digital delivery, and institutionalising inclusive education as a core national mandate.”
He also drew the attention of the audience to the convocation lecture delivered by Kanu Godwin Agabi, lawyer and former Federal Minister of Justice of Nigeria, on the eve of the convocation, which was centred on corruption.
He said, “May I further crave your indulgence to recall that on the eve of this convocation, we were privileged to listen to a profound lecture by Chief Senator Kanu Godwin Agabi, SAN, CON — an eminent jurist whose reflections went beyond analysis to moral confrontation.
His central message was clear and uncompromising: corruption in Nigeria is not merely a failure of systems — it is a failure of values. It is not sustained only by those who act, but by those who remain silent. Indeed, as he warned, our silence has gradually become complicity.”
The highpoint of the celebration was the formal presentation of Graduands by the respective deans of faculties for the award of various degrees, diplomas, and certificates, beginning with the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, as well as prizes to best graduating students. Beneficiaries of the award of excellence were 48 in number.
Vice-Chancellors and heads of other higher institutions in the country graced the occasion, and took their turns to deliver brief goodwill messages, congratulating the university community — the graduates, governing council, management and staff, as well as other stakeholders.
The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is a public university that was established in 1983 by the Nigerian government. It is the largest open university in Africa and the second largest in the world. NOUN was initially established to provide access to higher education for Nigerians who are unable to attend traditional universities due to work, family, or other commitments.
NOUN offers degrees in various fields including arts, education, law, business administration, public administration, environmental studies, social sciences, agricultural sciences, health sciences and pure sciences. The university aims to make quality higher education accessible to working professionals and others who cannot attend regular universities.
NOUN offers programmes through only one mode (mono-mode) which include a full-time, online, and distant learning. The university’s online learning platform allows students to access course materials and interact with faculty and peers virtually. NOUN also has regional centres across the country to facilitate learning for students who prefer face-to-face interaction.