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Former Vice President of Nigeria Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Folasade Ogunsola; and other stakeholders on Tuesday made a case for Open and Distance Learning (ODL) as an avenue to increase access to university education in the country.
Former VP, UNILAG VC, Prof. Stephen Brown, Fellow of the University of London Centre for Online and Distance Education, and Prof. Risikat Dauda, UNILAG Director, Distance Learning Institute (DLI), spoke in support of ODL at the 5th International Colloquium of DLI.
In his address as chairman of the occasion, Osinbajo said Open and Distance Learning must be prepared to lead the way in boosting access to university education.
He explained that in 2026, about 2.2 million candidates applied for admission through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), and only 35 per cent were offered admission.
His words: “Large number of candidates chose universities as first choice as against the polytechnics and colleges of education. If demand for university education continues to rise, we will have 2.7 million candidates apply for admissions and 3 million in subsequent years.”
According to him, Artificial Intelligence (AI) with huge materials would change access to tertiary education, and he urged universities with ODL to take advantage of the tool to increase access.
He stated: “It is now clear that the vehicle to provide massive and quality university education is through ODL. And with AI, it will open more spaces for our teeming youths seeking university admissions.
“If we get it right, ODL will not only be regarded as an avenue but a variable vehicle to provide quality university education,” he added.
Osinbajo described the title of the colloquium, “Reimagining Open Distance Learning Ecosystem: Technology, Policy and Institutional Priorities”, as vital to improving ODL.
He commended the UNILAG management for establishing DLI to provide university education opportunities for youths who are either working or finding it difficult to gain admission through conventional universities.
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In her remarks, UNILAG VC, Prof. Ogunsola, noted that the conversation is particularly urgent because the nation is grappling with the challenge of ensuring access to university education for the teeming youth population.
She observed that for centuries, the university was defined by a physical place, and students came to the university in order to learn in Nigeria, with about 89 million youths.
Ogunsola added: “Today, technology has made it possible to learn from anywhere, ODL provides an important pathway for expanding access to higher education for workers, people with disabilities and those who need a more flexible mode of learning.”
The VC disclosed that the National Universities Commission (NUC) recognised ODL as an important instrument for expanding access and quality in Nigeria higher education and established regulatory frameworks for its operation.
“UNILAG has a long tradition of using alternative models of educational delivery to widen access, and the DLI has become the university’s principal organ for coordinating ODL programmes,” she stated.
In her address, the Director, Distance Learning Institute, Prof. Risikat Dauda, said ODL is no longer a peripheral alternative to the traditional classroom.
Dauda observed that ODL has become the backbone of how nations expand access, close skills gaps, and prepare their citizens for a labour market being written in real time by artificial intelligence and digital transformation.
She commended the VC, Prof. Ogunsola, for her unwavering support for the institute’s growth and hosting the colloquium.
