Professor Uduma Oji Uduma has officially assumed office as the sixth Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), effective February 11, 2026. His appointment was ratified on October 9, 2025, by the university’s Governing Council and announced by the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Mallam Isa Yuguda.
Uduma, a Professor of Philosophy and Logic and a Barrister-at-Law, succeeds Professor Olufemi Ayinde Peters. He is the first indigene of Ebonyi State to lead the institution. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Philosophy from the University of Lagos and has served the university in various capacities, including Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and Director of the Abakaliki Study Centre.
Speaking at the handover ceremony in Abuja, Uduma unveiled six priority areas for his administration: strengthening study centres nationwide, enhancing learner support services, improving Information and Communication Technology infrastructure, ensuring credible electronic examinations, promoting staff welfare, and sustaining quality assurance standards.
In his inaugural address titled “Rising to Build: Stewardship, Access, and Excellence for a New NOUN Era,” Uduma described his appointment as a “solemn national trust,” stressing that leadership is rooted in responsibility and service. He reaffirmed the university’s commitment to expanding access to quality education across social and geographical barriers, in line with its Open and Distance Learning mandate.
Recalling his experience as a study centre director, he expressed confidence in his ability to deepen academic delivery and improve student experience across the institution’s centres. “I come into this office not to experiment, but to build,” he said, urging stakeholders to embrace unity and continuity in governance.
Uduma paid tribute to his predecessor, describing the transition as “a relay, not a rupture.” In his farewell remarks, Professor Peters thanked the university community for its support during his tenure, while other officials, including Registrar Oladipo Ajayi, expressed optimism about the new Vice-Chancellor’s leadership. The ceremony featured the symbolic presentation of the NOUN Act, seal of office, Senate gavel, and red pen.
