Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has reaffirmed his administration’s readiness to support initiatives and investments aimed at expanding and consolidating access to quality education in the state.
Nwifuru gave the assurance on Friday when he received the Vice Chancellor and management team of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in audience at the Government House, Abakaliki.
The governor said education remains a major pillar of his administration’s People’s Charter of Needs Agenda, describing it as a social contract with the people of Ebonyi State.He expressed his willingness to support both government and non-governmental initiatives geared towards advancing education and knowledge in the state.
“We are willing to support and partner with you to advance knowledge in our dear state. We will give you all the needed support. We are relocating your study centre to a bigger and more conducive space to enhance learning and drive research and community service,” the governor said.
Nwifuru, while highlighting some of his administration’s achievements in the education and human capital development sector, said his government was determined to expose young Ebonyians to opportunities that would make them globally relevant and competitive.
According to him, more than 700 Ebonyians have been sponsored to pursue postgraduate programmes in Europe as part of efforts to broaden their exposure and strengthen their capacity.
“We have sent over 700 Ebonyians to pursue postgraduate degrees in Europe. We did this because we want them exposed to the world,” he said.
The governor also described the Vice Chancellor of NOUN, Professor Uduma Oji Uduma, as a renowned educationist with exceptional intellectual capacity.
Nwifuru commended the Governing Council of the university for appointing the Ebonyi-born Professor of Logic as Vice Chancellor, expressing confidence in his ability to reposition the institution.
“We know what he will do in the National Open University. We are happy that Professor Uduma has what it takes to take the university to an enviable height where everyone will be very proud of,” he said.
The governor further called for concerted efforts to address discrimination against graduates of NOUN, stressing that students of open and distance learning institutions should not be regarded as inferior to their counterparts in conventional universities.
He said his interactions with NOUN students had convinced him that many of them possessed the academic and professional capacity to compete favourably with graduates from traditional universities.
Meanwhile, Professor Uduma said the delegation visited the governor to formally express its readiness to partner with the Ebonyi State Government in advancing tertiary education and expanding access to learning.
The Vice Chancellor commended the governor’s scholarship programmes and investments in specialised universities across the state.
He described NOUN as the largest university in Sub-Saharan Africa, with more than 190,000 students and 128 study centres and campuses.
According to him, the institution’s primary objective is to make education accessible to all by removing barriers that prevent people from pursuing higher education.
Professor Uduma, however, noted that the Southeast has the lowest number of NOUN campuses in the country, while Ebonyi State was the last state in the region to have a study centre.
He expressed the university’s willingness to collaborate with the Ebonyi State Government on training in Open and Distance Learning (ODL), as well as with existing universities in the state to adopt a dual-mode system.
He explained that the proposed model would combine physical classroom learning with technology-enabled virtual learning, giving students greater flexibility and access to higher education.
The meeting further underscored the commitment of both the Ebonyi State Government and NOUN to strengthening education, expanding learning opportunities and promoting knowledge development in the state.
