The Best Graduating Student at the National Open University of Nigeria’s (NOUN) 15th Convocation Ceremony, Reverend Father Eketelu Charles Onyebuchi has attributed his success to the dedication and resilience to surmount the initial challenges of the study.
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Rev. Fr. Onyebuchi, who spoke on behalf of all the graduates at the ceremony held on Saturday, April 18, 2026 at the university headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, added that the university “is indeed a place where the most important prerequisites for success are fostered.”
He urged students to not get confounded, saying that “in spite of the university’s flexibility, it is a school that reminds us constantly of the need to be disciplined, focused, determined, committed and goal driven.
”For all of us who have made it to this great day, we can unanimously attest to these truths. In expressing a deeper truth but with some witnesses, some students would say: ‘NOUN is not for the faint hearted.’”
He said as graduates of this year, they remain eternally grateful to NOUN for the numerous and impactful experiences in the course of their academic journey.
"I wish to acknowledge something highly remarkable about the National Open University of Nigeria; on a note of appreciation. The school has not spared any efforts in providing us with study materials that are well researched and deeply enriching," he added
In an interview with the NOUN News correspondent, Rev. Onyebuchi mentioned that the journey was not without its challenges.
“As students we faced hurdles of varying degrees. Sometimes creating the time to study was a huge problem. There was also the challenge of actually understanding what was being studied. There was yet another challenge which plagued most, and this was the ability to exhaust the course materials in the course of the semester.
“In any case, life is never without its challenges. We learnt however to turn these mountains of challenges into building blocks, and today we stand proudly as victors,” he said.
He thanked his mother, “Late Mrs. Christiana Eketelu for the privilege to have her for the first 18 years of his life, but those years have remained priceless because her invaluable lessons have molded me into the man I have become.
”My appreciation also goes to my father for being my staunchest supporter and motivator. My indebtedness to you Dad is eternal. To my siblings, ever loving and cheerful, thank you for the encouragement. To good friends whose words of encouragement have contributed greatly to making this day a reality, I thank you all.
”My special appreciation goes to the Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria, Professor Uduma Oji Uduma and his management team for all their efforts to provide us with the best conditions to nurture our academic ambitions. Be assured that all lessons have been received and we shall be good ambassadors of the school wherever we go.
"To my fellow graduates, I say this to you all today, quoting Sirach chapter 2:5, ‘gold is tested by fire.’ We have been forged in the great fire of the National Open University of Nigeria so that the finest substance within us can be revealed to the world. I have always believed strongly that every human person is a bundle of endless potentials waiting to be harnessed,” he said.
Rev. Onyebuchi explained that “We all have our reasons for enrolling into this noble institution, I hope that on this day, you can look back to those reasons and say to yourself: ‘mission fulfilled.’”
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