Abia State Governor Alex Otti has approved the establishment of a National Open University of Nigeria study centre in Aba and directed relevant agencies to upgrade the existing facility in Umuahia, following a visit by the university's management team to Government House, Umuahia.

The decision came after Otti received a delegation led by NOUN Vice Chancellor Professor Uduma Orji Uduma, who sought state government partnership to expand access to open and distance learning across Abia.

Commending the university for pioneering virtual education in Nigeria, Otti described digital and distance learning as an irreversible global shift that governments and institutions must accept.

"It is interesting that the National Open University of Nigeria pioneered an effort decades ago when the world had not gone virtual. But today, I sit here and hold meetings with people in New York and Singapore. That is what learning has become. Distance, Open, Virtual, Zoom, Google Meet and all the platforms for distance learning and virtual meetings have become the order of the day. So, we have no choice but to embrace it," Otti stated.

On the approved Aba centre, the governor directed the General Manager of the Greater Aba Development Authority to identify a temporary location for immediate use while a permanent site is developed.

"On the request for a study centre in Aba, I think that one is a no brainer. It has to be done. Maybe we need to find a place where they can operate from temporarily. Because before you start and finish building, it will probably take a long time," he noted.

Regarding Umuahia, Otti tasked the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Professor Uche Eme, with conducting a feasibility assessment to determine how the existing centre could be fixed and upgraded.

The governor also acknowledged that his administration had committed 20% of the annual budget to education over the past three years and disclosed plans to commission three smart schools within the month.

Professor Uduma informed the governor that NOUN currently operates 120 study centres across Nigeria, with only 8 located in the South East region. He appealed for land support in Aba and praised Otti's development record in the state.

The Commissioner for Tertiary Education and other senior government officials attended the working visit.