Enugu Chairman Hails Prof. Ortuanya, Applauds Gov. Peter Mbah’s Historic Efforts Over New VC's Election
Chairman of Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State, Aka Eze Aka, congratulated the 16th Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, Professor Simon Ortuanya on his election into the enviable position.
Chairman of Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State, Aka Eze Aka, congratulated the 16th Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, Professor Simon Ortuanya on his election into the enviable position.
Akaeze described the appointment of Ortuanya as the first indigenous Nsukka professor to occupy the position as
"overdue and widely celebrated."
Aka further noted that the fact that the announcement had triggered widespread jubilation across Nsukka cultural zone in Enugu State particular, and indeed the entire country, was a clear proof to the sterling credentials and deep-rooted intellectual legacy of Prof. Ortuanya.
In a statement on Monday, the Chairman expressed optimism that Prof. Ortuanya’s tenure would usher in a new era of transformation, scholarship, and innovation at Nigeria’s first indigenous University, popularly known as the "Den of Lions and Lionesses".
His words, "We have no doubt that Prof. Ortuanya will draw great inspiration from the transformative leadership model of our dear Governor, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, whose disruptive governance paradigm has become a reference point across Nigeria. It is expected that the new VC will replicate such ingenuity to reposition UNN as a global academic powerhouse where, as the motto says, the dignity of man is restored.
"This moment will remain indelible in our memory. Governor Mbah, through deft and visionary leadership, helped illuminate the path for the selection process. His affinity to merit and justice, made this victory for Nsukka and Enugu State possible.”
The Chairman further commended Governor Mbah over what he described as “a masterclass in leadership, diplomacy, and strategic influence” that facilitated the emergence of an Nsukka son (for the first time in history) as Vice Chancellor of the UNN over 64 years after its founding by the first indigenous president and Owelle of Onitsha, late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe.
He further commended the Visitor to the university, President Bola Tinubu, for endorsing Prof Ortuanya's appointment.
Prof. Simon Ortuanya, a distinguished legal scholar, administrator, and policy strategist, hails from Igbo Etiti LGA of Enugu State. He had previously served as Secretary to the Enugu State Government, SSG, and commissioner for Education. His career spans decades of service in academia and governance, making him exceptionally equipped to steer UNN through its next phase of growth.
Many see Ortuanya’s appointment as not just a personal triumph, but a symbolic victory for the Nsukka people, whose ancestral homeland plays host to the great university but had, until now, never produced a substantive Vice Chancellor.
“Tomorrow is indeed here,” Akaeze further noted, echoing Governor Peter Mbah’s visionary mantra.
As congratulations pour in from around the country, many stakeholders are already hailing this as a watershed moment in Nigeria’s academic history, because it was a timely convergence of merit, home advantage, as well as purposeful leadership that will echo far beyond the hills of Nsukka.
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