By Nkiru Ogbuli, Abuja
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has announced plans to engage the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to enable graduates of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) to participate in the national service scheme.
NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu, disclosed this in Abuja at NOUN’s 15th convocation ceremony, where 24,575 students graduated across undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Representing President Bola Tinubu, Ribadu said the move is part of efforts to review existing policies in line with changing education trends, particularly the emergence of younger graduates from open and distance learning institutions who meet NYSC age requirements.
He commended NOUN for expanding access to higher education, noting its student population of over 500,000 nationwide.
Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Uduma Oji Uduma, said the graduating students included 17,474 undergraduate degrees, 1,788 postgraduate diplomas, 5,282 master’s degrees, and 31 doctoral degrees.
He added that among the undergraduate graduates, 57 obtained First Class Honours, 2,505 earned Second Class Upper Division, 8,541 graduated with Second Class Lower Division, 4,149 obtained Third Class, while 234 graduated with Pass degrees.
He described the achievement as a reflection of resilience and perseverance, urging graduates to uphold integrity and contribute meaningfully to national development.
