Chris Steven, Abuja
Professor Olufemi A. Peters on Thursday assumed office as the 5th Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria, succeeding Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu, whose five-year tenure ended on Wednesday, February 10, 2021.
In a brief handover ceremony held at the university’s headquarters in Abuja, Prof. Peters, elected the Vice-Chancellor on 3rd December 2020, described his predecessor as a man whose tenure will always be referred to in the annals of the university.
The ceremony, which saw the immediate-past VC handed over the leadership reins to his successor, was witnessed by the principal officers of the university, deans and directors and some journalists.
In his short acceptance speech, Peters, a Professor of Chemistry, said “Prof Adamu’s tenure will be enduring and we shall have cause to make reference now and then to the tenure of Abdalla Uba Adamu.
“It has been a wonderful journey for Prof. Abdalla, and it has ended in a very remarkable way. I want to thank God for him and all he has done for NOUN.”
Earlier in his farewell remarks, Adamu thanked the Almighty God who entrusted him with the leadership of the university and be able to see-off the tenure successfully.
He described the five years as “extremely intense” which nevertheless allowed him the opportunity to contribute towards “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 these five years, I have been in situations where I have 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 his tenure has recorded some listless achievements that improved on the image of the university and thanked the Pro-Chancellor, Prof. Peter Okebukola and the principal officers, whom he described as his “Dream Team” that supported him in discharging the responsibility.
“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.