By Sebastine Chukwuebuka Okafor, Ph.D.

When the Vice Chancellor of Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, appointed him to take over as the Head of the Department of Mass Communication, ESUT, in 2023, everywhere was quiet for those who love academic cut corners and full of excitement for those who want total reformation from the old system to the new one.

It wasn’t easy at all for Dr. Ezinwa because the department, despite being one of the best in ESUT in terms of academic discipline, had some age long niggling unresolved issues that affected cordial staff relationships, which made gossip full of lies trend and thrive.

As someone who has been in the department for almost 13 years, I can beat my chest and say that Dr. Ezinwa, as usual, improved tremendously on what was achieved by his predecessors within his three years in office. His first year was a total mess up and clean up period, as he spent his time, resources and energy resolving an issue that the department had with one of the security agencies after a petition was written. That period was hell for the former departmental board secretary because he is someone who isn’t always around to understand the maneuverings and met a system where everyone was almost leaving and fearing another.

The Nachi born political communication and Media law expert started by nipping issues in the bud. First, he appointed an exam officer to ensure that issues that had to do with exam coordination, monitoring, result preparation and execution were settled. This was after he personally met with all the professors in the department to seek their advice on the way forward because he was afraid to fail. He proceeded with redocumenting the departmental album to ensure that exams were written sequentially without any iota of impersonation or disorganisation.

One of the things that always put fear in Dr. Ezinwa was the fear of failure. The young man does not want to fail at all. So, he began the reformation of the PG programme to ensure that all outstanding issues were resolved, and till today, our PG programme is one of the best, as it has continued graduating students on record time. Dr. Ezinwa became the first HOD to graduate PG students in record time in the department in almost two decades after reviewing and updating the curriculum. Consequently, the programme has witnessed a significant increase in students enrollment in the last two academic sessions.

He then organised a staff training programme for newly employed staff. The school employed over nine staff between 2020 and 2021, which I am part of, into the department without any staff orientation and training, and it made us not know our left from our right. The training brought together all the staff in the department, as well as others from various departments, to educate the newly employed staff on the workings of a university system. This staff orientation and training helped in making sure that everyone understood his or her job and also the limitations, and that was where he started advancing in progress as the HOD in sprint race form.

Dr. Ezinwa then began the work of improving the infrastructure that aided practicals for the students, and with the help of the Vice Chancellor and ESUT alumni, ESUT Radio came back to life, same with ESUT TV. Let me say the ugly truth: the current radio station would have been dead without the commitment and support of his administration. On getting involved, he facilitated the construction of the transmitter room, installed an air conditioner, among other rearrangements that ensured the sustenance of the station. I personally stayed away from getting involved in the radio station because I don’t want to be spending my resources to do the work effectively as a perfectionist and also be getting bad names or being used as a gossip topic by many staff who see the institution as their all and all.

He also created a staff parents interactive WhatsApp platform, where parents enquire about the academic performance of their offspring, lay complaints and get the issues resolved. This helped tremendously in changing the attitude to studies of many students in the department. It is on record that during the 2026 matriculation ceremony of the school in our faculty, which I was the official MC, a parent took the microphone and said that he flew from Lagos to Enugu to appreciate the Mass Communication Department and ESUT for such an initiative and also recommended that others follow suit.

He also galvanized the ex students and created a platform where they interact and discuss issues that will positively impact the students. This yielded the 1991 set planning to visit the school during their reunion to embark on some projects that will enhance academic growth after inviting him during their annual general meeting in 2024.

He brought in Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival (ENIFF), where the students engage with professional movie makers and practitioners to get first hand information about the profession. During one of the ENIFF programmes, a sum of $500 was promised as a grant, which is being processed.

MacArthur Foundation also came to train our students on news writing and reporting, where the best were issued certificates and introduced to so many employment platforms.

The Nachi born scholar enhanced partnership with West Africa Broadcast & Media Academy (WABMA), which now also supports the training of our students in so many areas in the broadcasting field. He went further to facilitate another partnership with Choice Flame Newspaper and Afia TV on internships, training and production for both staff and students. Aside from this, he also created a departmental website, email address and revitalised the online journal.

His administration also attracted socialites like Okwulora and Naniboy, who always visit from time to time to motivate the students and empower them with financial support.

He also attracted ESUT Cinema, where students visit on weekends to cool off the stress of the week and also enhance their social life, after restoring power supply in a department that was in darkness for four years.

Under Dr. Chidiebere Ezinwa, indecent dressing to classes became a crime. You must wear proper departmental uniform with other apparels and hairstyles approved by the department. Lecturers who wished began a full implementation of 75% class attendance during exams, which increased academic participation and development among the students. Course registration became a must, as he ensured that students attended carryover lectures before writing the exams. To him, writing a carryover is not an automatic pass, and so, a student must participate in all the class activities, be qualified to rewrite the exam, register his courses, write well in the exam to enable him or her to scale through, or come back to try again. All these were also part of the strategies that he used to reduce issues of non ICT results, where students forge results without the consent of the lecturers. In fact, to submit a Non ICT result under him, the student must provide evidence of participating in the exam, as well as a letter from the course lecturer who issued the said results.

What about academic advisory? Dr. Ezinwa streamlined academic advisory in a way that level advisers advise from year one till the graduation of a particular set, an act that leads to better knowledge and understanding of each student, leading to better advisory. In ESUT Mass Communication Department under him, level advisers are not allowed to sign files for students outside their designated class.

Dr. Chidiebere Ezinwa’s leadership made the Mass Communication Department become a reference point for examination conduct in the school. As an ex faculty and school Examination Marshal, I will beat my chest and tell you that the Department of Mass Communication gives you a clear idea of what examination looks like, even ahead of Medical Sciences and Law in ESUT, courtesy of him. It is on record that the department has zero tolerance for examination misconduct and malpractice.

A no nonsense man that he is, Dr. Ezinwa’s administration has no single case of result scandal. He eradicated every avenue that could bring result manipulation, as always seen in Nigerian institutions, and ensured that any Second Class, First Class or Third Class is a deserved one and not what was erroneously given or bought, as we do hear in other institutions, including ESUT.

He crafted a system whereby students now see their results status on a semester basis, including parents for those that care. This means that any results or grades cannot be manipulated at the final collation centre, and if it does happen, it can be traced.

Dr. Ezinwa stopped the character of “please give me mark, I want to upgrade my GP from 2.2 to 2.1, you don’t need to write carryover, just pay one of the non academic staff or the person computing the results or someone in Exams and Record, and it will be wiped out, you can go to service without graduation” and other slangs used by some university cabals to scuttle academic excellence.

He revitalised ESUT Monitor newspaper, which has expanded to become a reference point for those who teach rural communication and community press in various institutions. The newspaper has so far produced more than seven editions and has been active online, especially on social media platforms. Many who don’t know about it do think that it is the University’s newspaper, all because of Dr. Ezinwa’s impact.

Under his leadership, the department, for the first time in almost two decades, started embarking on industrial training (IT) to bridge the gap between classroom and field experience. This has brought so many good experiences for the students, as they had the opportunity of interacting with industry professionals to learn more and gather experience.

One of the many good things about him is that, once he gives you work, he does not interfere, and he knows where someone would work better and puts the person with constant monitoring and review. He also has a high interest in hearing from all parties when issues or complaints come up, which gives whoever is working with him a sense of trust, security and safety.

Dr. Ezinwa’s Mass Communication Department, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility and community engagement , embarked on media literacy campaigns across communities, towns and even the university environment to educate the public on how to identify misinformation, verify information, recognise credible sources, understand media messages and make informed decisions in an increasingly digital society. During the said outings, issues concerning children’s rights, child protection, responsible parenting, gender equality, online safety, protection of children from abuse and exploitation, and the need to provide a safe and supportive environment for children were communicated directly to the people. The campaigns also used the opportunity to sensitise the people on the importance of protecting the dignity, welfare and future of children and encouraging them to speak up whenever children’s rights are violated. This is because As a child rights activist, he believes that a university should give back to society,which was what prompted the Media literacy campaigns in secondary schools to protect our children from the impact of phone and AI in the digital age. This campaign was effectively led by Dr Okwudiri Ekwe, a staff of the department on leave of absence who had made numerous sacrifices for progress of the department.

The pinnacle of his achievements was securing full NUC accreditation for the department, which ensures that the programme is sustained for the next four academic years.

From a personal point of view, Dr. Ezinwa’s major regret is his inability to unbundle the department to create more room for further academic excellence, despite his numerous efforts and sleepless nights. Anybody who wants to change an existing culture in any environment would always cherish working with him, but those coming to cut corners will be frustrated to the brim.

His administration has also shown that leadership in an academic environment is not only about making policies but also about creating systems that can outlive the person in charge. The structures he introduced have given the department a stronger sense of order, responsibility and accountability. He gave many young lecturers the opportunity to contribute, learn and take responsibility while allowing experienced members of staff to share their knowledge. His willingness to listen before taking decisions also made many people feel valued. For students, the changes have created a clearer understanding of what is expected of them academically and morally. For staff, the reforms have provided a more organised working environment. These are the kinds of changes that may not always be fully appreciated while they are happening, but their value becomes clearer with time.

I am happy to be part of your success, and I am very glad that you are one of the few who so much believe in me and what I stand for. As you bow out of office, I wish you all the best and a sabbatical where you can rest and rejig your tank because it was three years of restlessness. I also wish your successor the best, with a strong belief that he will perform better than you.