By Amaechi Agbo with Agency report

The management of University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) has announced Professor Simon Uchenna Ortuanya as its new Vice Chancellor, following a rigorous selection process involving 28 candidates.

Prof Ortuanya is the Dean, Faculty of Law, Enugu State University of Science and Technology. His appointment was announced on Sunday by the five-man selection panel. Ortuanya’s appointment makes him the first Nsukka person to head the First indigenous University in Nigeria.

He also became the 16^th VC of the ivory tower.

Professor Ortuanya, who previously served as Secretary to the Enugu State Government (SSG), was appointed after the university’s Governing Council ratified the recommendation of the selection committee.

The process, chaired by the Council’s Chairman, Engr. Kayode Ojo, was described as transparent and merit-based.

In a statement issued by the university’s Acting Public Relations Officer, Inya Agha Egwu, the institution highlighted Professor Ortuanya’s extensive academic and administrative experience, which spans several decades and includes roles in both state and federal capacities.

“Professor Ortuanya brings with him a wealth of academic and administrative experience. He previously served as Associate Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, and is a Professor of Law at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT). He is also a visiting scholar at Loyola University Chicago School of Law,” Egwu said.

He added that Ortuanya’s deep understanding of university governance, education policy, and law, as well as his leadership record, would help advance the university’s mission of academic excellence and innovation over the next five years.

Before his appointment, Ortuanya was the Dean, Faculty of Law, ESUT, where he was credited with significant improvements in the academic environment and infrastructure for law students. His leadership style has often been described as transformational, with a strong emphasis on raising academic standards.

A former Enugu State Commissioner for Education, he played a vital role in implementing educational policies aimed at strengthening the state’s academic sector. He also served as Special Assistant to the Minister of Information and Culture at the federal level.

In addition to his academic and political roles, Ortuanya is the Founding and Principal Partner of Prof. S.U. Ortuanya & Co. (Word Chambers), a contemporary law firm providing legal support across various sectors of the Nigerian economy.

He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988 after earning his LLB (Hons) from the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, in 1987. He obtained his Master of Laws (LL.M) from the University of Lagos in 1991 and later earned a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2003.

Between 2003 and 2005, he was a visiting scholar at Loyola University in the United States and has held several academic positions, including Director of Law Clinic and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Law at UNN between 2007 and 2011. From 2013 to 2016, he served as Director of ESUT Legal Clinic and Head of the Department of Private Law, ESUT.

He has also served on the Human Rights Committee of the International Bar Association.

Past UNN Vice-Chancellors

                        Name                                                  Tenure

1          Professor Charles Igwe        June 2019–to 2025

2          Professor Benjamin Chukwuma Ozumba June 2014–June 2019

3          Professor Bartho Okolo:     June 2009 – June 2014

4          Professor Osita Chinedu Nebo:     June 2004 – June 2009

5          Professor Ginigeme Francis Mbanefoh:   1998– 2004

6          Professor Umaru Gomwalk:           May 1994 –1998 (appointed as the Sole Administrator)

7          Professor Oleka K. Udeala:            1992 – 1995

8          Professor Chimere Ikoku:   1985 – 1992

9          Professor Frank Nwachukwu Ndili:          1980 – Oct. 1985

10        Professor Umaru Shehu:     1978 – 1979

11        Professor James O. C. Ezeilo:        1975 – 1978

12        Professor Herbert C. Kodilinye:    1971 – 1975

13        Professor Eni Njoku:           July 1966 – 1967; 1967 – 1970

14        Professor Glen L. Taggart:  1964 – 1966

15        Dr. George Marion Johnson:          1960 – 1964