The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has tendered an unreserved apology to the former President Olusegun Obasanjo, over a news report that he was taking on the payroll of the university as a facilitator.
The university further made it clear that the elder statesman had accepted to be rendering free services to the university in the same capacity.
The university made this known on Thursday in Abuja, through a statement signed by Mr Ibrahim Sheme, its Director of Media and Publicity.
The university said it was reacting to a story in a national newspaper on Wednesday that Obasanjo would earn N40,000 per annum as “NOUN lecturer”.
It explained that the story emanated from a press conference held by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abdalla Adamu, on Tuesday, ahead of the university’s 8th Convocation Ceremony slated for Saturday.
It said: “While we remain grateful to all the media houses that give our activities positive coverage, we insist that their news reports should always be accurate and diligent.
“While it is true that the VC had told the gathering of journalists and NOUN staff present at the conference that the university had offered the former President, His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo.
“A facilitation appointment, the honorarium mentioned in the newspaper publications is the generic amount the university issues in the appointment letters of all facilitators.”
It, however, said that “His Excellency, Chief Obasanjo, in his acceptance letter to the university, however, decided to render his services on a pro bono basis, i.e. free of charge.”
It denied that Prof. Adamu ever said at the event that the former president had taken or intended to accept any payment or salary for his services.
