Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to expanding access to tertiary education and strengthening human capital development across the state.
Governor Nwifuru made the commitment while receiving the management team of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), led by its Vice-Chancellor, Professor Uduma Oji Uduma, during a visit to the state.
The governor announced that the existing NOUN Study Centre in Ebonyi would be relocated to a larger and more conducive facility to enhance learning, research and community engagement.
Nwifuru said his administration was ready to partner with the institution to advance education and knowledge development in the state, describing human capital development as a key pillar of his People’s Charter of Needs agenda.
He disclosed that the state government had sponsored more than 700 Ebonyians for postgraduate studies in Europe, stressing that the initiative was aimed at exposing young people to global knowledge and opportunities.
The governor also called for an end to discrimination against graduates of open and distance learning institutions, insisting that NOUN graduates possess the capacity to compete favourably with graduates of conventional universities.
Nwifuru commended the NOUN Governing Council for appointing Professor Uduma, an Ebonyi-born scholar, as Vice-Chancellor, expressing confidence in his ability to advance the institution.
Earlier, Professor Uduma said the visit was aimed at strengthening collaboration between NOUN and the Ebonyi State Government, particularly in expanding access to open and distance learning.
He disclosed that NOUN has more than 190,000 students and 128 study centres and campuses, noting that the South-East has comparatively fewer study centres.
Uduma said the university was prepared to partner with Ebonyi State in training institutions and personnel in Open and Distance Learning and supporting universities in adopting dual-mode systems that combine physical and technology-enabled learning.
He explained that such partnerships would help remove barriers to education and make learning more accessible to a wider population.
Both the state government and NOUN expressed optimism that stronger collaboration would expand educational opportunities for Ebonyians and equip them with the skills required to compete in an increasingly digital and knowledge-driven economy.
