As President Muhammadu Buhari assented to the National Open University (Amendment) Act 2018, the President of the Congress of Noun Students (CONS), Comrade Adewoyin Tijani Adekola, has commended the president for his fatherly role.
With the assents, NOUN graduates can now participate in the compulsory National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), while its law graduates will attend the Law School as it requires before practicing.
President Muhammad Buhari had in a statement signed by Senator Ita Enang, the Presidential liaison officer to the National Assembly, Senate, said by the amendment, “the University shall now be known as National Open University of Nigeria”.
“This brings the operation and course of study, including all administrative and legal processes in accord with all the other existing universities in Nigeria, eliminating possible discrimination etc against products and programmes of the university”.
Reacting to the development in a statement tagged “The New Act, A New Dawn” the Nation President of Congress of Noun Students said the students of the National Open University of Nigeria have suffered undue neglect and marginalization by both public and private sectors.
The statement read in part, “The news of the President’s assent to the NOUN Bill (which was long overdue) raised our spirits and lightened our hope in the belief that NOUN is not just an Institution but one with the difference.
“As courtesy demands, we wish to sincerely appreciate everyone who has made this a success from the Presidency, Sen. Jibrin Barau for sponsored the bill for the amendment of the Act setting up the NOUN, all other Senators and Members of the House of Representatives who contributed, Management and staff of NOUN, Past and Present Administration of Congress of NOUN Students (CoNS) who have been a front-runner for a better NOUN, Past and Present Administration of Law Student’s Association of Nigeria (LAWSAN, NOUN Chapter), Past and Present Administration of NOUN Law Graduates (NOULGA), Past and Present Administration of NOUN Alumni Association (NOUNAA), Past and Present Administration of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Past and Present Administration of the National Association of University Students (NAUS), and most importantly the ever-resilient NOUN students who despite the facades and injustice being met have kept the faith, worked and prayers”.
“As it is widely known, education is the bedrock and future of any society. Denying it of its essential growth is denying the country her essential powers. So, suffice me to state at this juncture that this is a wake-up call to the Federal Government of Nigeria to see that there is no reoccurrence of a situation where an Institution is created and no plans for the growth are made and/or that in a situation where a mistake of such has been made, nonchalance (to the point of threats, protest, and the likes) shouldn’t be tolerated. Such incidences do not tell well of the country and her educational system”.
“While we wish to request the immediate end to every form of marginalization, intimidation, and neglect of any NOUN student, we call on every relevant body (CLE, NYSC, Universities, Polytechnics, Private and Public Companies) to henceforth cease from the promotion of such evil acts of depriving the NOUN Student every legal right to National benefit. We have forgiven the past but we will not tolerate a repeat”.
“We also wish to inform all NOUN Student that we will not stop till every eligible NOUN Student gets what is due them, wear that Khaki Uniform and/or graduate from the Nigerian Law School”.
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