ADDRESS OF THE VICE-CHANCELLOR PROFESSOR OLUFEMI PETERS AT THE 25TH MATRICULATION CEREMONY ON OCTOBER 20, 2023

By VC

October 20, 2023

VC

Protocols

Dear Matriculating Students;

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). As your Vice-Chancellor, it is my duty and joy to ensure that your sojourn and study in this University becomes a lifelong and rewarding experience. I will start therefore, by enlightening you about the significance of the step you have just taken by choosing the National Open University of Nigeria for your higher education.

The NOUN is Nigeria’s Premier Open University of Learning. It was established in 1983 and resuscitated in 2023 for full operations as an Open and Distance Learning University. It is an open university because, irrespective of race, gender, distance or creed, it gives you the flexibility of choice over what, when, where (the place) and at the pace you wish to study, among an array of available programmes. It also allows you to be able to have access to your learning materials across the barrier of distance, as you can obtain these via a variety of media outlets. For example, after your registration, you can have your course materials as hard copies. You can also, through your computer or smartphone download these materials from online. You can even view and download them as instructional videos. In order to have these choices, you must acquire an internet enabled computer (laptop or desktop), tablet or smartphone. From these, you can now begin to realise, that your study in this University requires that you learn how to use ICT facilities to access and gather information for study.

At this semesters’ matriculation, I am happy to inform you that we are matriculating a total of 18,679 new entrants, out of which 13,477 students are for undergraduate programmes and 5,171 are postgraduate students. In addition, we have 31 postgraduate students that are registered for doctorate degrees. By this, you have today become a member of our Open and Distance Learning Community comprising about a total of 150,000 students in 114 Study Centres across the 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. This makes us to be the largest university in Nigeria and the West African Sub-region, and second on the African continent.

During your registration process, you were made to select a Study Centre of your choice. I wish to inform you that all your physical contacts with the university will be at this study centre.

At the study centre, you will have access to a number of facilities necessary for your study. These include our physical and e-library facilities which provide over 40 thousand titles of books and journals, Facilitation rooms, Science laboratories, Halls for in-person and e-exams, and in some special centres, incubation facilities for entrepreneurship minded students for their training and development. Although we will provide an online interface for your interactions with the University, the study centre can also be your location of access whenever you need to meet physically with our staff or other students, or make a request. We will continue to further strengthen our study centres with the provision of internet infrastructure and online presence for seamless connection to a rich depository of resources in the global community of Open and Distance Learning.

Finally, to facilitate and simplify your learning experience, we have a team of professional ODL Administrators, Facilitators, IT experts and especially Guidance Counsellors at the study centres for your consultation. Please find the time to consult them for free advice on all matters relating to your study, especially if you encounter challenges. The earlier the better for as they say, a stitch in time, saves nine.

However, if you still have challenges that you are unable to resolve at the study centres, we have provided an e-ticketing app which registers; assigns responsibility and channels feedback for the resolution of complaints and enquiries from the interested public, as well as existing and prospective students. You will find it very useful.

My dear students, I must advise you that while Open and Distance Learning enables you to learn at your choice of place and pace, whatever your social or religious status and other engagements, such as a vocation or employment, it does require you to create the time and discipline for a copious amount of self-study. It is quite different from a conventional university system where you must attend lectures in a class room or auditorium always. This self-dependency requires utmost dedication and time management which enables you to quickly mature into today’s world of excellence, creativity, innovativeness and online collaboration which are prerequisites for success in the technology driven, competitive and interconnected global village of the future.

Your predecessors in our Alumni Association will be glad to relate with you further, to offer assistance in settling down quickly into your studies. Please feel free to register and relate with them.

On our part, we will strive to continue to give you a fulfilled learning experience and ensure you become worthy ambassadors of our great university. Our role is to prepare you for the challenging world of today and the future.

Finally, due to the unique mode of instruction and assessment, many people will be interested in your academic performance and character. I implore you therefore to be good and worthy ambassadors of the National Open University of Nigeria. I look forward to congratulating you at the completion of your studies when you will join other successful colleagues at Convocation for the award of certificates and prizes, which is your reward and evidence of preparedness to surmount challenges of life beyond our walls, virtual and physical. I am assured that this is your wish and that of your families, friends, stakeholders and dependants. Indeed, this is also what our Country, Nigeria needs to rise and attain its place of greatness in the global and competitive world of today and the future.

Accept by warm Congratulations and best wishes.