100 Days Of Big Strides: How Prof Simon Ortuanya is Rebuilding UNN From Ground Up -Eastern-News

One hundred days after Professor Simon Ortuanya assumed office as the 16th Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), the institution is recording sweeping reforms that many describe as an unexpected turnaround for a premier university long in decline.

Prof. Ortuanya, who took office on 11 August 2025, marked the 100-day milestone with “quiet reflection,” but his early actions have already triggered a revival across infrastructure, governance, welfare and global engagement.

Within weeks of resumption, he launched an aggressive infrastructure restoration drive. Major internal roads, including Elias Avenue, Zik’s Drive, Chitis/Alumni Road, Main Gate Road and the VC Office Road, were rehabilitated. The long-abandoned UNN Filling Station has been revived with new service pumps installed. Renovation of student hostels is ongoing, and construction of three new hostel blocks is set to begin.

The 10 story high Senate Building project, abandoned for years at the piling stage, has been revived, with construction now at foundation level. The VC’s Lodge has been renovated, and a mini power grid dedicated to the university library is underway.

The administration also strengthened academic development with the creation of the Michael Okpara Centre for Leadership and the Electric Vehicle Development Centre. Staff welfare received immediate attention, with all outstanding evaluations and promotions concluded, resulting in hundreds of staff being elevated. A Housing and Accommodation Directorate was created to tackle persistent residential challenges, alongside a Community Relations Directorate to improve host community engagement across Nsukka, Enugu and Ituku-Ozalla campuses of the university. Student union activities, previously suspended, have been fully restored.

Governance and policy reforms include new policy frameworks for Public-Private Partnership, Communications, Research and Update, ICT, and Whistleblowing, with each backed by a strong, standing committee. Security was overhauled through new leadership, comprehensive staff audit, and procurement of modern equipment, showcased during a recent UNN Security Summit attended by senior state security officials.

In pursuit of a stronger global profile for the university, the VC has hosted a delegation from the Swedish Embassy, visited and held talks with the Vice Chancellor of the University of Waterloo, Canada, Professor Vivek Goel and secured a memorandum of understanding with the university. He also led a delegation to Taiwan for strategic engagements in exchange programmes with top universities and government institutions.

His persistent engagement with TETFund resulted in approvals and procurement clearances for a new faculty block for the College of Medicine, hostels for Nursing and Pharmacy students, a new laboratory building, and full laboratory equipment installation.

Observers say Ortuanya’s first 100 days reflect a leadership style defined by urgency, innovation and institutional renewal. The VC, however, maintains that the journey has only begun, describing the achievements so far as “the beginning of the beginning.”