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It was with great joy that Miva Open University officially welcomed over 8,000 students during its third matriculation ceremony on Saturday, 15 November 2025. The Chancellor, Sim Shagaya, set the tone for the event by acknowledging the significance of the day and the shared commitment to fostering a new generation of learners.
His remarks underscored how Miva has grown from its first 500 students to a vibrant community of over 10,000, driven by a mission to expand access to quality higher education through technology, innovation, and a deep commitment to national development.
In This Post
The Chancellor’s Speech
Good morning, everyone.
Your Excellency, former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, a leader whose legacy in infrastructure and innovation continues to inspire our nation. Sir, your presence here today honours us deeply.
The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, distinguished members of our Board of Trustees, our Vice-Chancellor Professor Tayo Arulogun and the entire faculty, our incredible students, proud parents, and friends of Miva, I welcome you all to a day that marks not just a ceremony, but a declaration of possibility.
As I stand before you today, I am filled with a profound sense of gratitude and renewed purpose. Two and a half years ago, we opened our doors with 500 students and a bold vision. Today, we gather to welcome our newest cohort into a community of over 10,000 learners, a community that is rewriting the story of higher education in Nigeria.
Let me say this clearly: you have chosen to be pioneers. Not in a bland, easy sense of the word, but in its truest, grittiest meaning. You are building while others are watching. You are learning while others are questioning. You are proving what many doubted, that excellence and access can coexist, that technology can democratise quality, and that Nigeria can lead the world in educational innovation.
The Year Behind Us
This past year has been transformative for Miva. In April, we opened our flagship Lagos Study Centre in Yaba, the Silicon Valley of Lagos. That four-storey building is more than bricks and mortar; it represents our commitment that digital education must also create spaces for human connection, collaboration, and community.
But we didn’t stop there. We rolled out study centres across geopolitical zones. Plateau State in July. Rivers State in September. And we are just beginning. Our plan is audacious: 774 study centres across every local government area in Nigeria.
Because if you live in Mubi or Damaturu, you deserve the same access to power, internet, and world-class education as someone in Lagos or Abuja.
We also unveiled MIND (Miva Interactive Neural Dialogue), our AI-powered learning companion. Think of MIND not as a chatbot, but as a personal tutor available 24/7, engaging you in real-time conversations about case studies, giving you instant feedback, and helping you think critically. This is the future we are building, where AI doesn’t replace teachers but amplifies learning. And the world is watching.
Miva was named a Top 10 finalist for the inaugural Global EdTech Prize, recognition that African innovation is not just competitive; it is leading. In February, the National Universities Commission approved two new postgraduate programmes: the Master of Public Health and the Master of Information Technology. These are not just degrees; they are pathways to solving our continent’s most pressing challenges.
The Challenge We Face
But let us be honest about the context we are operating in.
Last year, 2.02 million Nigerians sat for the JAMB examinations. About 1.5 million of them qualified for university admission. Yet our 170 universities could only absorb 600,000. That means 900,000 qualified, brilliant young Nigerians were turned away—not because they weren’t good enough, but because there simply wasn’t space.
This is not just a statistic. Behind that number are dreams deferred, potential unrealised, and a nation bleeding talent it cannot afford to lose.
Traditional universities are vital; they have served us well and will continue to do so. But they cannot scale fast enough to meet the demand. The question is not whether we need more universities. The question is: what kind of universities do we need?
We need universities that are flexible, affordable, and accessible. We need universities that teach students not just what to think, but how to think, how to adapt, how to solve problems, and how to build. We need universities that prepare students not for the economy of yesterday, but for the economy that is emerging before our eyes.
That is why Miva exists.
Your Role in this Mission
To our new matriculants: You are not passive recipients of an education. You are active participants in a movement. You are not here to sit back and consume content. You are here to question, to challenge, to build, to innovate.
Your predecessors, your senior colleagues, recently participated in a 48-hour AI hackathon. In two days, they built AI tools and software solutions that addressed real problems. They didn’t wait for permission. They didn’t wait for perfect conditions. They saw a challenge, rolled up their sleeves, and built.
That is the spirit I want to see in every one of you.
Ask questions. Don’t accept things simply because “that’s how it’s always been done.” The greatest innovations in history came from people who asked “Why?” and “What if?”
Break barriers. You will face sceptics, of course, people who doubt online education, who question whether Miva is “real”, and who wonder if you can truly succeed without the traditional campus experience. Prove them wrong. Not with words, but with results. With excellence. With impact.
Build relentlessly. Education is not about collecting certificates. It’s about acquiring skills, solving problems, and creating value. Whether you’re studying Computer Science, Public Health, Business Management, or any of our 18 undergraduate and four postgraduate programmes, I want you to graduate not just with a degree, but with something you have built: a project, a solution, a body of work that demonstrates your capability.
Collaborate generously. Use the study centres. Form study groups. Engage with MIND. Attend the masterclasses with industry leaders. Connect with your professors. The most powerful learning happens not in isolation, but in community.
National Development and Global Competitiveness
Let me speak candidly about the responsibility you carry.
Nigeria is at a crossroads. We have the population, the talent, and the energy. What we need now are institutions and individuals that can channel that potential into productivity. The world is not waiting for us to catch up. Artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and renewable energy—these fields are advancing at breakneck speed. The question is: will Nigeria be a consumer of these innovations, or will we be creators?
You must choose to be creators.
Miva is equipping you with the tools. We require every student to pass courses in information literacy and AI, and creative thinking, not as checkboxes, but as foundational skills for the 21st century.
We are building an institution where students are not just digital-native, but AI-native. Where you don’t fear technology, you harness it. But tools are useless without the will to use them.
Our nation needs engineers who can build infrastructure that rivals any in the world. We need public health professionals who can design systems that deliver care to the most remote communities. We need economists who understand how to create inclusive growth. We need entrepreneurs who can build global businesses from Nigerian soil.
This is not aspirational rhetoric. This is the work. And it begins with you, today.
The Vision Ahead
By 2027, we aim to have 100,000 students at Miva. Within a decade, one million. Some will call this impossible. I call it necessary.
But numbers alone are not the goal. The goal is transformation. The goal is a Nigeria where every qualified student has access to world-class education. The goal is a continent where our young people are not looking elsewhere for opportunity but creating it here.
We are already seeing glimpses of this future. From 2028, technologies will be mature enough that we can teach practical courses—nursing, engineering, complex surgical techniques—in virtual reality. Imagine a nursing student in Sokoto practising intubation in a fully immersive virtual environment. Imagine a civil engineering student in Calabar designing and testing bridge structures before ever touching steel. This is not science fiction. This is the roadmap.
And you—yes, you sitting here today—will be part of the generation that makes this real.
A Final Charge
There is a line from our national anthem that I have always found deeply moving: “A nation where no man is oppressed.”
Education is the most powerful tool we have to make that vision a reality. Not education as gatekeeping. Not education as a privilege for the few. But education as a right, as an enabler, as an equaliser.
Miva is more than a university. It is a bet on you. A bet that given the right tools, the right support, and the right environment, you will rise. You will excel. You will lead.
So I leave you with this challenge:
Do the work. Education at Miva is flexible, but it is not easy. You will have to be disciplined, focused, and hungry.
Stay curious. The world is changing fast. The skills that are valuable today may be obsolete tomorrow. Cultivate the habit of lifelong learning.
Think big. Don’t limit yourself to what seems achievable. Nigeria doesn’t need small dreams. We need audacious ones. And we need people bold enough to pursue them.
Give back. As you climb, reach back. Mentor someone. Teach someone. Share what you learn. The strength of Miva will not be measured only by the success of individuals but by the strength of our community.
To our new Miva students: Welcome. You are no longer applicants. You are now members of a movement that is reshaping the future of education in Africa. Wear that responsibility with pride. Carry it with purpose. And never, ever forget that the world is waiting to see what you will build.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
