Obasanjo, A Troublesome Student At National Open University; Says Vice Chancellor

“When Obasanjo became a student of the institution, he thought that it was an easy thing to do. When he was given all the courses, he realised it wasn’t easy and so he had to defer his admission. He said ‘I would not take part in this until I finished my tenure as President’. So he never studied while he was the President until he completed his tenure, then he started the course.

“He did a Post Graduate Diploma in Christian Theology. He was a very troublesome student because he will not start calling until 12 mid night and keep you online until about 2.00a.m. Every time he gives us trouble, we pray that he graduates…

“[At last] he did and his certificate was valid.”

The Vice Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Professor Vincent Ado Tenebe, on Monday gave a glimpse into former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s time as a student of the institution.

He said in the course of his study, Obasanjo told him: “I want to do the same thing others are doing.”

Prof. Tenebe, who commended Obasanjo for giving a new lease of life to NOUN during his administration in 2002, stated that: “President Obasanjo, when he became a student which he did by example, resuscitated the university…. The university was in dormancy until when civilian rule under Obasanjo came on board and re-cooperated the university in 2002 while in 2003, we started our academic programmes.

Speaking on whether Obasanjo influenced his good result in any way, Prof. Tenebe said:

“Obasanjo was a very brilliant student and I can tell you there were lots of controversies when his papers were being marked. I won’t disclose the secret of how our papers are marked but it is marked from Port Harcourt to Lagos, Kano, Maiduguri and the markers will never know whose paper they are marking. So the old man is intelligent, his certificate is valid and was done according to rules and regulations of the Nigerian University Commission.”