Student Cries Out Over Alleged Fraudulent Activities Of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)

I Hope the relevant people read through this and address the issue at hand!

''Hi Stella I am an ardent follower of your blog and a big fan, please help me post this on your blog. It is really a problem that is disturbing me. I work for every penny I spend and I feel cheated by the NOUN. Please help us stop this corruption at the NOUN.

The National Open University of Nigeria is more like an opportunity. It is an opportunity because it is a money making venture for some people.

Firstly, some of the fees student are made to pay are completely unnecessary. However, that is not the case at this moment.

It is expected that the NOUN being an institution which is formed out of an already existing educational system, should stand out in their management style. Instead, it seems like a malnourished shadow of the other universities despite how much money they make. They require lesser facilities and equipment than the other Federal, State, and Private universities, they do not hold lecturers, so they do not pay lecturers, all they are supposed to do is ensure efficient management of an open system of learning.

 Yet this has proven to be a Herculean task for the principal officers of the institution.

Nigeria is a certificate based country, hence the NOUN is supposed to be a laudable project because it provides an opportunity for lots of busy people to acquire a various certificates (B.Sc, Masters, Ph.D)  not primarily to learn.

Though, I have lost faith in the Nigerian university system, but because I love to learn and I'm a little busy trying to survive in the skilled labour market, I decided to register for a course at the NOUN so I can earn a degree. 

My study center is the NOUN study center at Dutse, beside the Public Service Institute in Abuja. After my registration, and some staff making you buy files from them at a price triple what you pay outside, I was asked to pay for course materials (A total of N76k). I rushed to the bank, paid for course materials and I was asked to come back for the materials on a certain date. I got there on the day I was told to come only for the person in charge of the materials to tell me that there was no material. 

So I asked when I should come back for them, and he said next semester. I felt dazed by his statement because it sounded like I was being spoken too by an insane person. I should come back next semester to collect the course materials I need to study for exams this semester. I slowly turned and left in shock because I was confused.

 I kept wondering what I have gotten myself into. That guy is a graduate and he just sounded like an insane man and was comfortable with it. I kept thinking to myself if I will be like him after 4 years. I'm I about to spend money to lose my sanity?

Isn't it enough that the institution is already making money off students by forcing them to buy course materials from them?

Then why won't they provide the materials? It is only logical that money and product should exchange hands.

It doesn't make sense for an institution backed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to be defrauding innocent Nigerians in the name of providing educational services. What excuse does the institution have for not providing course materials?or do we lack printing presses here in Nigeria?

Or is the institution waiting for government budget before they provide student materials, students pay for their materials, why shouldn't they get them?

If the institution cannot provide materials for the students, then the students should be allowed to source for their materials elsewhere. If not, it is a fraudulent practice for the institution to force students to purchase their materials from them, and still deprive them of these materials after collecting their money.

When I checked Google review regarding NOUN, some students were complaining the same thing. Nigerians are nice people but the institutions push them to the wall and it is disrespectful. If students begin to riot and vandalize the school facilities tomorrow, it's the students people will blame.

The government and the National Universities Commission should please look into supervising the activities of the NOUN as well as investigate this issue of lack of materials, else it will end up becoming one more failed institution.

WRITTEN BY SEGUN ADESINA