Prof. Tenebe Vincent
The National Open University of Nigerian, NOUN, has awarded full scholarship to the Paramount Ruler of the Isoko North Local Government Area community; HRM Francis Onovughakpor Ekhama.
The announcement was made as the people Emevor, a community in Delta State, celebrated the opening of a NOUN Study Centre in their domain.
Vice Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Vincent Tenebe, who made the disclosure, said the monarch would study to any level of his choice at the institution.
“I mean every word of it. The Odion has to start burning his candle now to earn a degree free of charge”, he said.
“He is not the first to be so challenged. The Awujale of Ijebu Land, Ogun State, Oba Sikiru, who is 80 years old is a student of NOUN. He would soon graduate.
“This scholarship to His Majesty, added to the opening of a NOUN center at Emevor today, are all in our efforts at demystifying university education in Nigeria.
“One of the mission statements of the NOUN is bringing education to the doorstep of everybody in open and distance learning without undermining quality. By every standard, this Study Center represents the presence of a Federal University in Emevor.
“We are the only university that democratises university education, giving freedom and liberty to individuals to study at their own time, at their own pace without the barriers of limited admission space, distance, business engagements and even age that deny several persons university education in the conventional universities”.
Tenebe said with the Study Center at Emevor, artisans, traders, full time housewives, and workers who had been restrained by their business or social barriers from gaining higher education in the conventional university now had the opportunity to gain tertiary education.
It is still unknown if the Emevor monarch would take advantage of the scholarship to enroll at the NOUN as he declined immediate response.
The apparently joyous monarch, who joined the Pro-Chancellor of the NOUN, Sen. Ameh Ebute, the VC and other dignitaries in declaring the center open, said he would make his decision known later.
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