The 2010 visitation panel set up by
the federal government to the
University of Nigeria, Nsukka, has
commenced sitting at the Nsukka
campus. The chairman of the 11-
man panel, Prof. Nuridin Adedipe,
said the panel was set up to look
into the activities of the university
between 2004 and 2010 and how it
has implemented the white paper
of the previous visitation panel.
Addressing the Vice-Chancellor, Prof
Bartho Okolo, and other principal
officers, during a visit, the panel
chairman said the main duty of the
panel was to see how much the
university has implemented the
White Paper issued by the Federal
Government during the previous
visitation panel and added that the
way it was implemented would
determine the progress made by
the university within the period
under review.
The chairman decried the poor
academic standards in Nigerian
universities which he said was at
variance with the academic
qualityexperienced with the old
generation universities when they
came on board in the 60s and in
early 70s.
The panel, Adedipe said, would
under the terms of reference,
determine the administration’s
relationship with vital organs of the
university as well as government
agencies and the private sector. The
panel would also, look into the
university’s relationship with the
host community, the unions, staff
and students as well as the council.
“We are on a fact-finding mission to
make UNN a better place than we
met it,” the chairman assured and
commended the Vice-Chancellor for
his wonderful achievement within
his short tenure in office especially,
in the area of environmental facelift
of the university.
Responding, the Vice-Chancellor
urged the members of the panel to
assist the university in its efforts to
be one of the best in the world and
in Africa. Prof Okolo said his
administration has done much in
the area of collaboration with other
foreign universities especially in the
United States, adding that this has
yielded great dividends.
He said the UNN has the best ICT
infrastructure in Africa. Prof Okolo
expressed the hope that the panel
would discharge its function
dispassionately without engaging in
witch-hunting. Meanwhile, the panel
has called for memorandum from
stakeholders and members of the
university community.
Meanwhile, the panel has visited the
traditional ruler of Aji, Igwe (Dr.)
Simion Osisi Itodo in his palace, in
Aji in Igbo-Eze North Local
Government Area, Enugu State.
Speaking during the visit, Prof
Adedipe told Igwe Itodo that every
five years the Federal Government
sets panels to look into the activities
of its universities to take stock of
development there within a period
of six years. “In this case, we are
looking into the activities of UNN
between 2004 and 2010.”
He said that the panel will look into
the funding of the university; the
money released to them and how it
was used. He said that the panel’s
term of reference that brought them
to the Igwe’s palace was the
determination of the kind of
relationship that exists between the
host community and the university.
“We want to find out whether or
not the community has benefited
from the university,” he said.
“Secondly, how peaceful is the
interaction between the host
community and the university? We
would look into the historical
evolution of the university, in other
words, how did the university start,
how did the university evolve, if
possible why Nsukka was chosen
for the establishment of the
university? We would also want to
know how the community has
benefited from the university’s
agricultural department, how it has
impacted on the rural farmers by
way of extension services including
making available technical assistance
on modern agricultural method to
farmers.”
Welcoming the panel, the royal
father who is the deputy chairman,
Enugu State Council of Traditional
Rulers, paid glowing tributes to Dr
Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first President
of Nigeria and the Owelle of Onitsha,
who, as the Premier of Eastern
Region, founded the university at
Nsukka. It will be recalled that the
traditional ruler of Eha-Alumona in
Nsukka Local Government, Eze Igwe
Dr Charles Abangwu, had earlier
praised the Great Zik when the panel
visited him in his palace. Abangwu,
who is also a former pro-chancellor
of Enugu State University of Science
and Technology (ESUT), expressed
his delight at the foresight that gave
birth to UNN.
Tracing the history of UNN, Igwe
Itodo said: “I have been on this
throne for about 28years. I know
everything about the university, its
origin and who made it possible. It
started in 1960 and I know
everything about its history from
inception till date; both during the
military administration and the
civilian regime. Our place was a
remote and backward area but Dr
Azikiwe in his magnanimity decided
to open up the area by bringing the
university to us. His colleagues in
the Eastern House of Assembly
were opposed to this and called him
names. Today, the university
remains the only federal
governments presence in our area
and the greatest employer of labour.
We owe the great Zik a big debt.
We know how to receive strangers.
Zik lived all his life here at the Onuiyi
Haven. We will never forget him.
His name has been immortalized
here.”
Speaking on the community’s
relationship with the university, he
said: “There was a time when we
did not have cordial relationship
with the university authority but the
relationship between the host
community improved greatly
during the tenure of the immediate
past Vice-Chancellor, Prof Chinedu
Nebo and has continued to improve
more and more under the current
one, Prof Bartho Okolo.”
On how the host community and
the university can maintain cordial
relationship, Itodo pleaded with
Professor Adedipe to “please, help
us to ensure that the employment
quota allocated to the host
community is not tampered with”,
noting that “we are asking for
employment of our people in
positions other than higher
academic positions as a
compensation for offering our land
to the Federal Government.”
The DVC Administration, Prof
Egbeke Aja, who led the panel
members to the Igwe’s palace,
thanked the Igwe for his hospitality
and for receiving them even at short
notice.
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