Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is not inferior to other universities in the country.

Obasanjo stated this yesterday when he played host to some of the university’s officials who came on a courtesy visit and alumni award presentation.

The former president said he had a firsthand experience of the standard of the institution, hence his declaration. He noted that in the past, there had only been one university in Nigeria for about 10 years, which is the University of Ibadan.

According to him, the second generation of universities, which are the federal and state universities, were also established just as the third generation, which are the private universities, also came into existence.

Obasanjo, however, said despite these efforts, there was still a wide gap in university education in Nigeria, hence the establishment of NOUN, to ease the academic burden for those working or seeking distance learning.

He said: “Despite the availability of universities, we’re still not coping; the gaps kept getting wider, which was why I said Open University is a necessity; it created more avenues and made it convenient for working-class citizens.”