NOUN to award degrees to 24,575 graduates at 15th convocation
…56 inmates among graduands …57 students to receive first class The Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof Uduma Oji Uduma, has said that 24,575 graduates will
…56 inmates among graduands
…57 students to receive first class
The Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof Uduma Oji Uduma, has said that 24,575 graduates will be awarded degrees during the institution’s convocation ceremony on Saturday.
Of the total number of students graduating, 57 will be awarded First Class degrees.
Uduma disclosed this at a press conference on Tuesday ahead of the 15th convocation ceremony of the university on Saturday across study centres nationwide in line with NOUN’s decentralised structure.
He explained that certificates will be issued immediately after the ceremony, describing it as a shift toward “student-centred responsiveness” and improved efficiency.
The Vice-Chancellor further revealed that 56 inmates of correctional centres are among the graduating students who benefited from the university’s free education initiative for prisoners.
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“This initiative stands as one of the most profound expressions of our institutional philosophy,” he said, adding that “no human being is beyond redemption.”
Uduma also addressed concerns regarding Law graduates and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) mobilisation, assuring that the university is in ongoing consultations with relevant regulatory authorities.
The Vice - Chancellor described the forthcoming ceremony as a moment of reflection, renewal, and institutional pride.
He said the convocation is “not merely a formal prelude to ceremony; it is a reflective pause in the movement of time – a moment to look back with gratitude, to look around with clarity, and to look ahead with courage.”
According to him, the university will graduate 24,575 students, made up of 17,474 undergraduates, 1,788 postgraduate diploma holders, 5,282 master’s degree recipients, and 31 doctoral graduates.
Uduma described NOUN as “a quiet revolution in Nigeria’s educational landscape.”
He said the institution has removed barriers of geography and time in access to higher education.
He said, “We have moved from skepticism to acceptance, from acceptance to validation, and now from validation to leadership. Open and Distance Learning is no longer an alternative; it is the new normal.”
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The Vice-Chancellor explained that the Faculty of Management Sciences leads with 7,455 graduates, followed by Social Sciences with 6,024 graduates. The Faculty of Health Sciences produced 3,939 graduates, Education 3,431, Computing 2,205, Science 943, Arts 452, Agricultural Sciences 120, while Law produced six postgraduate graduates.
He noted that the distribution reflected NOUN’s contribution to national development across key sectors, including governance, healthcare, education, technology, and food security.
Uduma also highlighted strong female participation among graduates, describing it as a major milestone in educational inclusion.
He said, “At the undergraduate level, 10,180 out of 17,474 graduates are female, representing approximately 58.3%. At the postgraduate level, 3,512 out of 7,070 graduates are female, representing approximately 49.7%.”
He added that this demonstrates that “access to higher education is no longer constrained by gender barriers,” stressing that education remains a powerful tool for national transformation.
He also announced that the convocation lecture will be delivered by Chief Kanu Godwin Agabi, former Attorney-General of the Federation, and will be chaired by Prof. Kabir Bala, former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
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The lecture is themed “Nigeria against Corruption.”
He outlined his vision for the institution, which includes strengthening academic quality, expanding access, deepening digital transformation, enhancing student support, and building strategic partnerships to improve global competitiveness.
The Vice-Chancellor commended staff of the University for their Commitment to organising the nationwide ceremony, describing their effort as “exemplary.”
“Indeed, when spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion,” he said.
He also appreciated the media for its role in protecting the university’s image, noting that “until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter.”
Uduma urged graduating students to see the convocation as a new beginning, charging them to represent the university with excellence and integrity.
