NOUN names research centre after ex-President Obasanjo

The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) yesterday unveiled a new research centre which it named after former President Olusegun Obasanjo.Obasanjo will deliver the inaugural lecture of the research centre scheduled for Tuesday, May 2 at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.

Details of the programmes showed that President Muhammadu Buhari would be the Special Guest of Honour, while the immediate past President of Ghana Mr. John Dramani Mahma would be Chairman of the occasion and would be supported by the first and only female Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Mariam Alooma Muktar as the Chairlady.

Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu would be Chief Host, while the Vice Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu would be host.Prof Adamu who briefed journalists in Abuja yesterday said the new research centre was part of the institution’s contribution to good governance and anti-corruption drive of the present administration.

He justified naming of the centre after Obasanjo, saying it was in recognition of his contributions not only to national development, but also serving as a role model for the younger generation of Nigerians that age was not a barrier to learning.

Obasanjo would to speak on the theme: “Leadership, Governance and Challenges of Development in Nigeria: The Way Forward” at the new facility named Olusegun Obasanjo Centre for Good Governance, Research and Development.

Prof. Adamu lamented that in spite the enormous intellectual work going on at the institution, a lot of Nigerians were still skeptical about its relevance as a pioneer single mode open and distance learning (ODL) centre in West Africa.

He added that it was for this reason it decided to break the yoke of silence by instituting programmes that would convince members of the public that NOUN was as relevant as any other institution in the country with fully accredited courses by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

He said Obasanjo was selected because he resuscitated the NOUN after it was suspended in 1984 as a result of logistics problems. Director of the Centre, Prof. Abdullahi Shehu said it would sustain its broad vision of contributing to nation-building through and scientific research.