Why I dropped out of FUTA in 2014—Itopa, NOUN best graduating student

Adekunle Olusegun Michael Itopa is the best graduating student of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Class of 2025. He finished with the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.74 from the Department of Peace and Conflict Resolution, Lagos Study Centre. Itopa, a native of Igarra in Edo State, is the first of five children in his family. He shares with CLEMENT IDOKO his exciting moment of being named the valedictorian of the NOUN Class of 2025, calling on authorities to stop discrimination against NOUN graduates.

YOU emerged as the best graduating student of NOUN Class of 2025, were you really expecting it?

I wasn’t exactly expecting this. When I got the call that I had emerged as the valedictorian, I went mute. I couldn’t grasp what was happening at the moment until I called my mother later that night, I could hear my grandmother dancing and singing, then it occurred to me that something remarkable had happened. I think that came as a result of delayed gratification. I feel overwhelmed. I’m humbled to be named valedictorian for 2025.

What was your reading habit like, is it that you study all day just to make this happen?

It sounds funny when I hear this. In my case, that is not it. Reading for me is something I do regularly and not necessarily my course materials. I just read anything I lay my hands on; it could be a magazine, it could be an article, I just pick up things and read around them but I think that reading culture has tremendously affected the way I read my course materials. Moreso, I work and not only do I work, I’m a basketball coach as well. I coach the secondary school team and we go for trainings and competitions. I do a lot of things with my time. So, the good reading habit that I have formed has made it easier for me to read through my course materials.

Growing up, what was your story, especially your educational background leading to this feat?

Wow! I think my case is a bit complex because I went to different primary schools. I also went to different secondary schools because as a family, we were always moving around with my dad. My first five years, which were my formative years, were spent in different primary schools, ranging from Jesse Rose Mafoluku, Citizens Ikorodu, Silverspring Surulere, TAC Maryland, and I eventually finished my primary education in Perfecter, Ikorodu. For my secondary school, I attended GCK Epe, Livingstone College, Ikorodu, and I graduated from Christ the King Academy, Ilesha. So, my journey, through primary and secondary schools in my formative years, was not linear. It was just  back and forth like that.

You mentioned in your valedictory speech that you gained admission to study Chemistry at Federal University of Technology Akure before dropping out, what was responsible for that?

Like I said, my academic journey has not been linear. In 2010, I gained admission to FUTA to study Chemistry. By 2014, I dropped out. My passion for music took the better part of me and that failed gloriously. Not only was I a rapper at that time, I was also a singer. I had gone to so many competitions, then, to me, music was everything. I was no longer paying much attention to my studies at that point in time.  It was when I came to Ota that it dawned on me that it is not easy to navigate one’s way through life in a country like Nigeria without some level of education. Fame eluded me, as my passion for academics had slipped away. Even when I tried to work, I couldn’t get any job that is worthwhile; I was only offered menial jobs. It was at that point in time I met Mr P.Y. Folurunsho the Principal of Grait International College, Ota. After I did remarkably well in the aptitude test, he employed me as an assistant Chemistry teacher in 2018. He also introduced me to NOUN as a platform where I could work and learn. I took his advice. I enrolled in 2020. That was how the journey started. He actually encouraged me to work and learn and the best platform then for that was the NOUN and because I was already earning something, I decided to sponsor myself in that regard.

One issue is the discrimination against the graduates of NOUN, how do you want this to be addressed?

This is a common misconception: that NOUN is a second-tier university. On X (formerly Twitter), I have seen alarming misinformation about our great institution. Out of curiosity, I went ahead to compare course materials from private universities like Covenant and Bells to that of now NOUN—particularly in Peace and Conflict Resolution. The truth is that our materials are comparable, authored and peer-reviewed by distinguished scholars from conventional universities.

While traditional institutions offer structure and physical presence, NOUN provides flexibility, affordability, and accessibility. The choice depends on one’s personal needs and circumstances – not on academic inferiority. When it comes to employment issues, outcomes should rather be based on competence and not which or what university the employee graduated from. Everybody should be given equal chances to prove themselves or otherwise in job placements. Employers shouldn’t discriminate against open university graduates. Like I said in my speech, I did my research, and I was surprised that our course materials are at par with that of conventional universities. So, there is no basis for discrimination. Well, if you talk about campus life and things like committing extra funding to research, I think, the NOUN can improve on that. Aside these, NOUN is not inferior to its counterparts.

Yes, the initial concept of NOUN was to encourage workers to work and learn but now we have a huge population of students who are below the age of 30, even the vice chancellor alluded to this.

What is your take on the rejection of your colleagues from mobilisation for NYSC?

I feel that equal opportunity should be given to NOUN students to also be able to serve the nation. NOUN students also go through school for four or five years, depending on the programme as it is in conventional universities, they should also be given the opportunity to serve when they graduate.

Are you also worried that NOUN students do not have access to Nigerian Education Loan Fund?

My take on this is that since NOUN is a federal university, what obtains in other federal institutions should also be applicable to its students. If so, the students too will greatly benefit from the loan idea. Most of the students sponsor themselves while facing several challenges at the home fronts. They are not necessarily workers but young Nigerians who want to acquire higher education in a more flexible system, so they have to pay a lot of bills to achieve this. Some of these students are mothers with other dependents. The loan will go a long way in reducing their burdens. The federal government should do well to extend the loan scheme to NOUN students just like it does in other public tertiary institutions.

You are a teacher, what exactly in your opinion should be done to improve the quality of education in Nigeria, especially at the basic level?

Government should actually commit more funds to primary education. Nigeria still has a lot of children who are supposed to be in schools who are not. More funds are needed to build infrastructures but if we cannot build new ones, we can improve on the existing ones. The old structures that are dilapidated should be refurbished and maintained to create conducive learning environments. There is a prototype in Anambra. During the time of Peter Obi in Anambra State, he did not just build new schools but resources were committed to reconstruction and improvement on the existing ones and we all witness what happened; Anambra which was ranked 27th before in the country, went up to the first position in terms of education.

There is also a need to improve the lot of teachers in the country. If governments at all levels can invest in the welfare of teachers in terms of better salary structure, training and retraining, the quality of education, especially at the basic level will drastically improve.

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