•As ex-President bags PhD

President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated former President Olusegun Obasanjo for bagging a doctorate degree at the National Open University (NOUN).

Buhari, who was the visitor at the 7th  convocation of NOUN, yesterday, in Abuja, described Obasanjo as the “Father of Open and Distance Education in Nigeria.”

The former President, who was among the 14,769 graduands, was conferred with Doctor of Philosophy in Christian Theology, thereby making him the first PhD product of NOUN.

Out of the number, 41 bagged first class honours.

Represented by Prof. Abubakar Raheed, Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Buhari said that it was Obasanjo’s belief in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) that made him enroll in NOUN.

“Obasanjo, because of his quest for quality education, could have opted to fulfill his desire for university education in Ivy League universities of the world and none of them could have denied him this opportunity.

“NOUN and indeed Nigerians, will continue to appreciate your belief, recognition of and support for ODL in Nigeria; we are proud of you,” he said.

Earlier in his address, Prof. Abdalla Adamu, NOUN’s Vice-Chancellor, said 14, 769 students across all disciplines marked the largest number of students ever graduated in NOUN.

Adamu said that the greatest pride of the event was the graduation of Obasanjo as NOUN’s first PhD student.