Open University Holds Public Lecture

Source: AllAfrica.com

Lagos



Nigerians have been advised to look inwards for solutions to the country's socio-economic problems from her vast and natural resources, which God has graciously endowed her with. Dr. Paul Omaji, gave the advise at this year's first public lecture, titled 'Managing For Results: A governance Challenge for public Institutions', organised by the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), at its headquarters in Lagos. Omaji, who is a Nigerian criminologist and management expert working with the Australian government said, "When God was distributing natural resources, he never forgot Nigeria.



But the problem lies in the fact that governance has been compromised. Though we are on the right path, we are not there yet, our management ability is very poor, our asset and maintenance culture is at a zero level, and our commitment to duty and courtesy to visitors is non existent", he lamented. He said the old paradigm, which was process and rule driven, has been replaced with that of management by objectives and performance. According to him, our reforms should go from process-based to results oriented strategy. " There is need for leaders to be accountable and for this to be possible, you must have the fear of God to do the right thing", he said



Addressing the press later, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olugbemiro Jegede assured the students and the general public that the university was striving hard to achieve its set objectives of training and producing graduates who can hold their heads high in the society. He disclosed that the school resumed for the current semester since July 17, and that 107 course materials have been printed and delivered to the study centres across the country. Admission of 30, 225 new applicants have also been processed, with their course materials delivered", he said



To fast track admission processes, Jegede added, the purchase of forms, processing and registration are now being done on-line. All that students need do is go to their study centres for clearance. He assured that within the next 12 months, study materials will also be accessed online, to eliminate time wastage arising from printing the hard copies. More study centres that will cover every state of the federation will also emerge. He commended President Olusegun Obasanjo for his directive that old party offices in each state be given to NOUN as study centres. He specifically commended Niger and Bauchi States, which have since carried out presidential directive.



Jegede said Bauchi State has magnanimously renovated the place it allocated to the university, adding that this was a challenge to the South-South and South East governments, which have not deemed it fit to allocate study centres to the university for the training and education of their citizens. He appealed to other private organisations to help create more study centres for NOUN. "We want to have study centres in each of the states, including Abuja to make them at least 37 in all", while a state like Lagos would have not less than three centres to cater for its teeming applicants. The Vice Chancellor disclosed that the university council has approved the hiring of substantive officers of the university, including Registrar, Bursar, Internal Auditors and others to move the university forward.