The Chairman of Udenu Local Government Area, Aka Eze Aka, has extended heartfelt congratulations to Prof. Simon Ortuanya on his emergence as the 16th Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).
Describing the appointment as “long overdue and widely celebrated,” Aka noted that the announcement has triggered widespread jubilation across Nsukka cultural zone, Enugu State, and indeed the entire country, as a clear proof to the sterling credentials and deep-rooted intellectual legacy of Prof. Ortuanya.
In a public statement issued from the Udenu Council Secretariat, 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”.
“We have no doubt,” Aka stated, “that Prof. Ortuanya will draw great inspiration from the transformative leadership model of our dear Governor, His Excellency, 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.”
The Chairman also took a moment to commend Governor Peter Mbah for 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 University of Nigeria, Nsukka, over 64 years after its founding by the Late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe.
Gov. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, the Executive Governor, Enugu State.
“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,” Aka said.
He further appreciated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, the Visitor to the University, for endorsing the appointment of Prof. Ortuanya.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, President, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Prof. Simon Ortuanya, a distinguished legal scholar, administrator, and policy strategist, hails from Igbo Etiti LGA, and previously served as Secretary to the Enugu State Government (SSG). 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,” the Udenu Chairman concluded, echoing Governor Peter Mbah’s visionary mantra.
Aka Eze Aka, Chairman, Udenu Local Government Council.
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.
© AkaEzeAka Media Team.
