The attention of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has been drawn to some news reports regarding the remarks purportedly made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the recent 13th Convocation Ceremony of the institution.
According to a statement by the director of media and publicity of NOUN, Mallam Ibrahim Sheme, issued Friday, the said publications inaccurately reported that His Excellency who is the visitor to the university made a remark regarding the admission of NOUN graduates into the Nigeria Law School and their mobilisation for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
“We categorically state that these assertions are entirely false and do not reflect the content of the visitor’s speech nor the proceedings of the convocation ceremony.
“Obviously, the news reports were based on a purported version of the speech that made its way into the social media. It is instructive that the education correspondents who were duly accredited to cover the convocation ceremony and who were actually there, did not report this gross aberration,” the statement read in part.
The statement, therefore, directed the general public to view and read the visitor’s full speech on NOUN’s verified social media handles, particularly YouTube and Facebook.
“In conclusion, we firmly affirm that the university is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and professionalism in all its engagements. As such, we urge members of the public and relevant stakeholders to rely solely on verified sources of information, particularly those directly affiliated with NOUN, to avoid any confusion or misinterpretation.”
