Graduates From The National Open University Are Not Eligible For NYSC Service In Nigeria

PROVOST of Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, Epe, Lagos State and former Dean of the School of Arts and Social Sciences at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Professor Olu Akeusola, has said graduates of NOUN are not qualified to embark on the National Youth Service programme.

Akeusola made this known while speaking with Nigerian Tribune in his office recently. This came even as both the students and the management of NOUN have been making a case for the inclusion of NOUN graduates who are below 30 years of age in the scheme.

He said: “You see, we have the tendency of misinterpreting concepts. NOUN isn’t meant for regular students. It is not meant for anybody that has just finished his secondary education.”


NOUN is a flexible programme meant for adults – meant for the working class. It is for people who have sufficient experience, but want academic knowledge and certificates to back up what they are doing.”
Akeusola noted that the manner of instruction at NOUN was part-time and it was not different from other part-time or correspondence programmes, whose graduates were not eligible for NYSC.
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“NOUN got it wrong when they started admitting students that are JAMB drop-outs—people who are unable to go to conventional universities through JAMB; and then also fresh secondary school graduates. Automatically, they would be agitating that they want to serve, after all, they are graduates. But the question you should ask is: If we are talking about NOUN as flexible, what about graduates from sandwich programmes? Are they serving? So, what makes NOUN different from sandwich?

The only difference is that sandwich is done only during the holidays and it is like part-time. NOUN is flexible, but then, they both don’t receive lectures everyday. They both don’t do face-to-face lectures,” he said.