By Felix Khanoba
President Bola Tinubu has ordered universities in the country to ensure full implementation of the new financial management guidelines recently approved by the Federal Executive Council.
Speaking at the 13th convocation ceremony of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Abuja on Saturday, Tinubu, who is the visitor to the institution, said the guidelines would go a long way in ensuring a sound financial management system in the nation’s tertiary education institutions.
Represented by the Deputy Executive Secretary (Academics) of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Noel Saliu, Tinubu commended the giant strides recorded by NOUN and vowed to leave no stone unturned to strengthen the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) format of education in Nigeria.
On the new financial management guideline, which exempts lecturers from the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS), Tinubu said the policy came into force after wide consultations with relevant bodies.
“At the Federal Executive Council meeting on December 13, 2023, the Federal Government approved the policy to exempt teacher education institutions from IPPIS.
“Following this approval, the Federal Ministry of Education and its relevant stakeholders developed a guideline for good governance and sound financial management in all tertiary institutions in Nigeria, which the Federal Executive Council approved on January 26, 2024.
“After the circular or guidelines are circulated, all tertiary education institutions will be required to ensure full implementation to ensure that good governance and sound financial management are entrenched in our higher education institutions,” he said.
While expressing the unwavering commitment of the Federal Government to provide the necessary support to make educational institutions nationally relevant and globally competitive, Tinubu noted that available statistics have shown that the deployment of the open and distance learning approach, especially in the tertiary education sub-sector, is the key link towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG4) by the year 2030.
“This government will continue to promote the open and distance learning approach as one of the strategies to improve access to higher education.
“The government, through the Federal Ministry of Education and the NUC, is therefore committed to providing the enabling environment to ensure proper delivery of this form of education in Nigeria,” he said.
The president also congratulated the new graduates and charged them to be good ambassadors of the school.
Meanwhile, the Oba of Benin, His Majesty Oba Ewuare II, has been installed as the new Chancellor of NOUN.
The investiture of the Benin monarch, which preceded the convocation ceremony, also saw the conferment of Doctor of Public Administration Honoris Causa on the reverend traditional ruler.
The Oba of Benin, who expressed delight over his new role as Chancellor of NOUN, congratulated the graduands and management of the university for seeing through a successful academic year, even as he promised to ensure massive development of the institution.
“My vision for the National Open University of Nigeria is one of excellence, innovation, and inclusivity. It is my fervent ambition to leverage my position as traditional ruler to enhance the fortunes of this esteemed institution,” he said.
On his part, Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Professor Olufemi Peters, said a total of 22,175 students graduated at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and in various disciplines.
He explained that 15,768 of them obtained bachelor’s degrees, while 6,407 obtained postgraduate qualifications.
“Of the 6,407 students who graduated at the postgraduate level, 2,362 students obtained the Postgraduate Diploma, 4,039 students the Master’s degree and 6 students the PhD degree.
“I am also pleased to announce that four of the doctoral students come from our flagship, the World Bank-supported Africa Center for Excellence in Technology Enhanced Learning (ACETEL),” the VC said.
Peters also revealed that NOUN has provided scholarships to approximately 83 inmates in correctional centers since its inception.
“Our commitment to the university’s mission is unwavering. We are proud that we can offer education that is both flexible and high-quality, yet affordable and accessible, ” he added.
The convocation ceremony also witnessed the conferment of honorary doctorate degrees on two distinguished Nigerians, Dr. Innocent Chukwuma (Innoson) and Hajiya Hafsatu Abdulwaheed.
While Chukwuma was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in Business Administration, Hafsatu got Doctor of Letters.
