BREAKING NEWS: NOUN Graduates 24,575 Students, Including 56 Inmates, 57 First-Class Degree Holders
...'Anybody Still Doubting Our Certificate Is Standing Still' – Ado Centre Director Clears Critics
By Olugbolade Ogboro-Cole, ADO EKITI
The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has conferred degrees on a staggering 24,575 graduates nationwide at its 15th convocation ceremony – among them 56 inmates and 57 first-class honorees.
In an exclusive interview with JIROLTV, the Director of the Ado Ekiti Study Centre, Professor Mustafa Adejoro Rahim, launched a defining defense of the institution’s credibility.
“It is quite surprising that some people are still doubting the National Open University,” Adejoro declared. “As the name suggests, it is a national university. We have produced graduates doing well in their various disciplines. If anybody is still doubting us, that person remains in a position of simply not moving forward. We are moving forward every year.”
The Director emphasized NOUN’s unique Open and Distance Learning model, which allows anyone eager to learn to do so from anywhere, at their own pace, without competition. “From cradle to grave, this is a lifelong learning institution built to bridge the gap for those who missed educational opportunities in the past,” he added.
The Ado Study Centre, established in 2008 and relocated to its current site in 2015, has recorded steady progress with rising student enrollment. Adejoro extended an open invitation to all – regardless of gender or background – to seamlessly further their education.
The State Chairman of the NOUN Alumni Association, Dada Adesanya, piled on the validation. Having attended other universities before NOUN, he noted a key difference: unlike conventional schools, NOUN operates like professional institutes where even centre officers do not know where exam questions are set or who marks scripts. “That rigor makes every graduate a champion,” he said.
He pointed to undeniable proof: NOUN law graduates have been called to the Bar and are practicing lawyers as full members of the Nigerian Bar Association. “The certificate is accepted for postgraduates in every Nigerian university,” he stressed.
Graduating students from the Departments of Mass Communication, Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution and Chronology, Morolake Odebunmi, Akingbade Kayode and Olugbolade Cole, gave raw testimonials. They spoke of four years of struggle, noting that many started but did not finish. “But by God’s grace, we started and finished successfully,” they said. Their direct advice to the world: “NOUN is very, very okay. No stress. Read on your own, understand what you read, and succeed. The school is okay.”
Recall that former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi (SAN), delivered the convocation inaugural lecture a day before, titled: Nigeria Against Corruption.
