Students and staff at the National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN Umuahia Study Centre, Abia State, are celebrating after the centre conducted e-examinations at its own facility for the first time in 24 years. The milestone was made possible under the leadership of NOUN Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Uduma Oji Uduma.
For over two decades, learners at Umuahia Study Centre had to travel outside the centre to write exams at other NOUN facilities. The challenge meant extra transport costs, long hours on the road, and added stress during exam periods. That burden ended when the centre successfully hosted its own computer-based test.
The VC’s visit to the centre triggered what witnesses described as “widespread jubilation”. Students who gathered to take the exams expressed excitement that they could now write from their home centre without leaving Umuahia. For many working-class learners who make up NOUN’s student base, the change removes a major barrier to completing their programmes.
Prof. Uduma’s push to decentralize e-exam facilities is part of NOUN’s broader drive to expand access and reduce student hardship. By equipping more study centres with CBT infrastructure, the university is cutting travel stress, reducing costs, and bringing exams closer to learners across Nigeria.
Officials at Umuahia Study Centre said the successful rollout shows what sustained advocacy and institutional support can achieve. After 24 years of waiting, the centre now has the capacity to serve its students directly during examinations, a development staff say will improve turnout, reduce absenteeism, and boost performance.
Students described the moment as historic. Many noted that writing exams in their own centre makes NOUN feel more like a “real campus” and gives them a stronger sense of belonging. The relief was visible as candidates settled into the new CBT hall instead of boarding buses to distant centres.
The achievement at Umuahia aligns with Prof. Uduma’s vision of making NOUN a truly open and accessible university. Since assuming office, he has prioritized infrastructure upgrades, digital transformation, and student-centered policies aimed at removing bottlenecks in distance learning.
For the Umuahia community, the first in-house e-exam is more than logistics. It’s proof that distance learning students deserve the same dignity and convenience as conventional university students. After 24 years, that promise was finally kept.
As more NOUN study centres follow this model, thousands of learners across the country are expected to benefit. But for Abia students, June 2026 will be remembered as the year the wait ended and the Umuahia Study Centre finally came of age.
