THE UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA, AT 50

By Sam Mbah, an alumnus of the University

Nigeria’s premier autonomous University, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka UNN is fifty years today. The University was formally declared open on October 7 1960, by Princess Alexandria of Kent, the representative of the Queen of England at the celebrations marking Nigeria’s independence from Britain. With their eyes firmly on the unfinished nationalist struggle, the founding fathers of the institution had insisted on an opening date which would coincide with the attainment of self-rule by Nigeria. In several respects, the history of UNN is closely intertwined with the history of Nigeria itself. The young institution held a colourful inaugural matriculation ceremony on October 13, 1960, at which 220 pioneer students were admitted. At the EVENT the main inspiration behind the establishment of the University, and first President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, EMPHASIZED the need for such an institution THAT WOULD HELP TO RAISE A CROP OF WORKING CLASS WITH A PATRIOTIC AND PRODUCTIVE MINDSET at the time WHEN the country WAS gaining independence. The philosophy of the University therefore, finds resonance in ITS creed WHICH IS To seek the truth, to teach the truth AND to preserve the truth. These are in line with the institutions motto which is to restore the dignity of man. AS FAR BACK AS 1937, Zik in his philosophical manifesto, Renascent Africa, lamented that throughout the continent, there WAS NO indigenous University sustained through with indigenous curricula TO hasten the intellectual emancipation of Africa. The institution therefore launched into a pursuit of a radical paradigm in higher education NOT found anywhere in Sub-Saharan Africa at the time. IT proved an instant success, hence the “Nsukka Experiment” – as it became known – began to elicit genuine interest from far and near. The institution’s impact on National Development, on the heels of the advent of self-rule, could be measured in terms of ITS OUTSTANDING turn-over. The “Nsukka Experiment” contributed new ideas and concepts of higher education which influenced in no small measure, the setting up in rapid succession of additional universities across the country. The university’s STEADY march was however, interrupted BY the Nigerian Civil war, AND IT was in the limbo for 30 months. Upon reopening in March 1970, IT faced an uncertain future. It is nevertheless a tribute to the returning staff and students that the university HAS resurrected from the ashes and ruins of war with unexpected speed. The turn of the 1990s, however, witnessed the advent of profound decline and decay in the Nigerian University system, and the University of Nigeria, was by no means, immune from the rot OCCASIONED BY inadequate funding, political interference, and country-wide economic crises. Several difficult years down the road, the University has begun the process of REHABILITATION. The past one year in particular has witnessed far reaching efforts to reclaim the ideals of the founding fathers of the institution. The reconstruction of the University’s physical infrastructure is ONGOING. But even more significant for the future of the University is the aggressive push by the current Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Bartho Okolo and his MANAGEMENT team to build up an academic infrastructure backbone driven by Information Communications Technology TO drive learning, teaching and research. The institution is obviously in the throes of a second revolution, fifty years after it blazed the trail of a radical university education model. The visit of President Goodluck Jonathan, to the university today to inaugurate the first phase of its campus-wide Wireless Network Infrastructure internet project could not have come at a more opportune time. It provides an added impetus to deepen the ongoing transformation process. The contributions of the Alumni to the growth and development of the University are hardly quantifiable. This is no doubt a dispensation of great awakening, heralding a renaissance for both the UNN and the country itself. Without gainsaying, Mr. President’s visit harbor limitless potential and offers a fresh edge towards the development of UNN as a global brand in Africa and a truly world class University. The expectation is that the golden jubilee of the university will usher in a golden era in the history of the great citadel of learning.


Source: recorded live from FRCN daily Commentary