The Ebonyi State Government has donated the former state secretariat to the National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, to serve as the permanent site of the Ebonyi Study Centre.
Governor of the State, Rt. Hon. Francis Nwifuru, announced the donation on Friday, 7th August, 2026 when he received the Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Uduma Oji Uduma, and his management team in Abakaliki.
The Governor said the gesture was in recognition of the contributions of NOUN to education and human capital development in the state.
“For the honour NOUN has done to the state, the government is willing to give you a permanent site befitting of who we are and representing our outlook,” he said.
He explained that the choice of the former secretariat was to provide ample space for expansion and a facility befitting the status of the university.
Rt. Hon. Nwifuru lamented that despite NOUN having over 120 study centres across the country, Ebonyi State is still operating from just one centre within a limited space.
He assured the Vice-Chancellor and management of the university of the state government’s readiness to partner with NOUN in providing infrastructure. He added that the government would liaise with and influence constituency projects of state representatives at the national level to be sited at the university.
The NOUN Vice-Chancellor, who led a strong delegation to the state's Government House in Abakaliki, had earlier commended the governor for a warm reception.
Prof. Uduma appealed to the governor to provide a permanent site to the university's Abakaliki Study Centre, which is hitherto operating in a temporary location, thereby making it difficult to bring development projects.
He urged the Governor Nwifiru to equally help the centre with infrastructure to serve as a conducive environment for learning.
The VC also commended the governor for revamping the education sector in the state, including the provision of foreign and local scholarships to the state's primary and secondary pupils.
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