President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the inclusion of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) graduates in the National Youth Service Corp program. Consequently, the news stirred huge celebration among the masses, most especially graduates of the institution.
While speaking about the initial exclusion, Professor Olu Akeusola, a former dean of the institution revealed that the University was primarily established for candidates who are working class and seeking certificates to back up their profession, and not regular students.
He added that the institution isn’t in place to serve students who just finished their secondary school. Also, he explained that the institution shifted from its initial purpose when it started admitting JAMB dropouts. Before the pronouncement of the President, students and graduates of NOUN institutions had been agitating for its inclusion in the compulsory one-year service.
It is worth mentioning that former president, Muhammadu Buhari approved the inclusion of NOUN graduates to the NYSC program. However, despite the approval of the then-president, the inclusion failed to materialize. More so, the wait now seems to be over as the new president has proclaimed a recent direct inclusion of the institution to the program.
At the moment, the news has sent Nigerian users on X (formerly Twitter) agog. One X user, Ezeogu Chukwuemeka Emmanuel, in his comment, expressed how the directive is a dream come true for the graduates of the university. Similarly, another user, Mayowa David described the development as a win for the institution and its students.
