concept and its application in various parts of the world; and (ii) investigate the problems and prospects for an open university in Nigeria. The term "open university" is defined as distance teaching university systems created to offer programmes of study exclusively to external students. The concepts of "distance education" and "open learning" are examined and their precise usage in this thesis clarified. A distinction is also drawn between Western, indigenous and Koranic education. The thesis is divided into three parts. The first part (Chapters 1 - 3), examines the concepts and the methodologies chosen for the study and provides a political, economic and educational background to Nigeria, with emphasis on the problems of higher education. Part two (Chapters 4, 5 and 6), provides a general illumination to the particular problems of the open university system and current trends in established open university institutions. In Chapter 4, a review is made of the distance education provision in Nigeria while Chapter 5 is devoted to a review of the literature. Chapter 6 is concerned with the Open University of the United Kingdom (aU-UK), especially its original concept, practices in the institution and the implications of applying the British experience elsewhere. (xi) The third part of the thesis (Chapters 7 and 8), investigates the particular problems and prospects for an open university system in Nigeria, through a study of the perceptions of a cross-section of the country's policy-makers and potential open university candidates. Chapter 7 focuses principally on the analysis of the collected empirical data on policy-makers while Chapter 8 is concerned with the personal characteristics of potential open university candidates, interpretations of their personal circumstances, their perceptions and the implications for university level home-study. The last Chapter (9) is concerned with conclusions on the findings of the thesis, their policy implications, suggested open university models for Nigeria and fruitful areas for further research.