The immediate-past director, Special Study Centre for the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Garki Abuja, Mrs. Patience A. Adeniyi, has retired from the services of the university.

Series of events leading to her retirement from the university, which were in two fold, started with the celebration of her 65th birthday ceremony at her residence, in Abuja.

The celebration on October 2, 2023, had family, friends, classmates as well as the NOUN community on hand to celebrate with her. 

Present at the occasion was the former Vice-Chancellor, Emeritus Professor Olugemiro Jegede who spoke kinds words about the celebrant.

Responding, Adeniyi, who expressed joy and happiness, was thankful to God who kept and protected her through out her service years in NOUN .

"I am so happy today that I don't know how to express myself. I give all glory to God for sparing my life; I thank my parents, my husband, my children and grandchildren for their support, and also for the heights I have reached in the public service,” she said. 

While describing how she joined the university as “accidental,” the former director disclosed that it was her friend that found an old newspaper with NOUN advertisement and brought to her husband, which she subsequently applied and the rest was history.

''My experience with NOUN was wonderful, even though people say the work is too much, but I was trained to be industrious, and I enjoyed counselling students as I was doing the spiritual and what I was employed to do, and I derived joy from doing my job,” Adeniyi said.

She commended the university management, saying that she knew that they have done much and believed that they will do more, especially in the area of incentives to make staff more productive apart from salaries alone.

Adeniyi’s husband, Mr. Remi Adeniyi, who showered praises on his wife, said after 35 years of marriage he can truly say that she is his better half and was given to him from the throne of God's grace, adding that he believes that God is in charge of her life and will take her higher even in retirement.

In another development, the handing over of the mantle of leadership of the NURTW centre, took place on Tuesday, October, 3, 2023. 

Following her retirement, Adeniyi handed over the administration of centre to the incoming director, Dr. Madu Galadima.

In her valedictory message, Adeniyi assured Galadima that he was going to enjoy working with capable hands in the centre who will help him to achieve success.

She urged him to be kind and humane to the staff and to work as a team.

Galadima, while responding, thanked her for her leadership qualities that had endeared her into the hearts of the staff and promised to step up from where she had stopped.

A befitting send-off ceremony took place at the Bouyan Garden, Garki Abuja, where kinds words were said about her by the staff, who described her as mother, teacher, mentor, counsellor and an administrator per excellent.

In attendance at ceremony were the new centre director, present staff of the centre, as well as those that served in the centre but were transferred out.