Prof. Olufemi Peters takes batton from Adamu, becomes NOUN VC

On Thursday, Professor Olufemi Peters assumed duty as the fifth Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), succeeding Prof. Abdalla Adamu, whose five-year tenure ended on February 10.

A statement issued by Mr Ibrahim Sheme, Director, Media and Publicity, NOUN, said that a brief handover was held at the university’s headquarters in Abuja, to usher in the new administration.

Peters, a professor of chemistry, who was elected the Vice-Chancellor on Dec. 3, 2020, described his predecessor as a man whose tenure would always be reckoned with in the annals of the university.

“Professor Adamu’s tenure will be enduring and we shall have cause to make reference now and then to the tenure of Abdalla Adamu.

“It has been a wonderful journey for Professor Abdalla, and it has ended in a very remarkable way. I want to thank God for him and all he has done for NOUN,” Peters said.

Adamu thanked God who entrusted him with the leadership of the university and the ability to see off his tenure successfully.

He described the past five years as “extremely intense” which allowed him the opportunity to contribute toward “widening access to higher mass education for the people of Nigeria.”

“I leave NOUN with fond memories of five years of a chunk of my life. In those five years, I had been in situations where I thought ‘it is really special that I am getting to experience this.’

“These situations of challenge and requiring fortitude represented what I have truly appreciated about the job. These defining moments included processes that gave the university its soul,” he said.

Adamu, a double professor of Science Education and Media and Cultural Communication, commended the Pro-Chancellor, Prof. Peter Okebukola, and NOUN principal officers for their support and described them as his “Dream Team” that ensured he ended well.

“I believe I leave the university well-positioned to meet the opportunities and challenges of being a national and international leader in African and global Open and Distance Learning in the 21st Century,” he added.