Parents and some stakeholders in the education sector have called on the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, to apologise and retract her statement that only the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is accredited to offer university degrees through the open and online learning mode in Nigeria.
The stakeholders, in a statement jointly signed by Comrade Jerry Akye Ini and Dr. Yusuf Idi Maso, said the minister’s remarks, made during an interview with DCL English, had created fear, anxiety, and uncertainty among students, parents and the general public.
They described the minister’s assertion as “factually incorrect,” insisting that Nigeria currently has seven fully licensed Open Universities approved by the federal government through the National Universities Commission (NUC), in addition to 34 approved Distance Learning Centres operating within conventional universities.
According to the statement, all the institutions are authorised to offer recognised academic programmes through Open, Distance and Online Learning (ODL) in line with regulatory standards.
The stakeholders warned that the minister’s comments could mislead prospective students, parents, employers and the public while unfairly damaging the reputation of licensed institutions and their graduates.
“We are particularly concerned by the minister’s assertion that only the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is approved to offer university degrees through the open and online learning mode in Nigeria. This statement is factually incorrect,” the statement read.
They noted that the current administration approved licences for two additional private Open Universities in 2025, following the licensing of four Open Universities in 2023 under the previous administration, alongside NOUN, which was established in 2002.
The stakeholders also expressed concern that some duly licensed institutions were yet to be listed on the Federal Ministry of Education’s Education Support Services Portal, the platform the minister advised members of the public to use for verification.
According to them, the omission, coupled with the minister’s statement, had created room for misinformation and attempts to discredit legally established institutions.
“We, therefore, call on the Honourable Minister of State for Education to publicly clarify and retract her statement in order to correct the misinformation and restore public confidence in Nigeria’s Open and Distance Learning system,” they said.
The stakeholders further urged the Federal Ministry of Education to immediately update and publish a comprehensive register of all approved universities and recognised Open, Distance and Online Learning institutions in the country.
They argued that relying on outdated records undermines public confidence, creates unnecessary confusion and is inconsistent with the federal government’s drive to promote transparency, innovation, digital transformation and wider access to quality education.
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