Nigeria, May 1 -- Ordinarily, doctrinal issues of religion concerning confession and testimony are the private spiritual affairs of the parties involved, but when a publicly funded educational institution is dragged into such a matter, it becomes germane to interrogate the issue.

Penultimate week, the social media went wild over an incident that occurred at Dunamis Church, with far-reaching implications for the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). A graduate of the university, Vera Anyim had come into the open church auditorium to testify about her sojourn and graduation from NOUN, despite all odds, and especially being the first to have a university degree in her family.

Unfortunately, a combination of issues of grammar, stage f...