Ortuanya: Confronting UNN’s deep-rooted ruins
Recently, I visited the once prestigious and iconic University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) on a personal trip. As we approached the university through the main gate, we discovered it was
- By Samson Ezea
Recently, I visited the once prestigious and iconic University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) on a personal trip. As we approached the university through the main gate, we discovered it was locked. Upon inquiry, we were informed that repair works were ongoing and that we should use the second gate. Entering through the alternative route, I was alarm at the sight before me. The once vibrant Eni Njoku Hostel now stood dilapidated, abandoned, and neglected, alongside Alvan Ikoku, Mbanefo, and several other hostels.
From the second gate down to the postgraduate hostel, the vice-chancellor’s office, departmental buildings, classrooms, hostels, roads, and surrounding facilities, virtually everything appeared like a shadow of its former self.
As someone who frequently visited the institution in the early 2000s, it was evident that the university had suffered a severe decline in infrastructural development. The scale of decay was not only glaring, but deeply disheartening.
One cannot help, but question how successive administrations allowed such monumental degradation to persist. Was it a failure of capacity, a lack of will, or a combination of both? The situation raises more questions than answers. Is it that the barber does not know how to barb, or that the blade is blunt—or worse still, a case of both incompetence and inefficiency?
Indeed, some may argue that the strength and standard of a university lie not only in infrastructure, but also in human and academic capacity. While that is true, academic excellence cannot thrive in an environment that is unconducive, dilapidated, and uninspiring.
Infrastructure remains a critical foundation for meaningful teaching, learning, and research.
The University of Nigeria Nsukka, which once provided ample hostel accommodation for its students, now has only a few habitable hostels. Many have long been abandoned and left in ruins by successive administrations that failed to prioritize the institution’s legacy and the welfare of both students and staff, the very pillars upon which the university was founded.
Investigations reveal that a majority of students now reside off-campus, leading to an astronomical increase in accommodation costs in surrounding towns and villages. Ironically, many university hostels that could provide more affordable housing remain neglected. If properly rehabilitated, these facilities would significantly reduce the financial burden on students.
It is worth recalling that in the golden years, when the university proudly produced the famed “lion and lioness”, hostels and staff quarters were adequate and well maintained. Students largely lived on campus, fostering camaraderie, intellectual exchange, healthy competition, and a shared academic culture that nurtured excellence.
Today, the story is different. Distractions and pressures have multiplied, exacerbated by infrastructural deficiencies that undermine both learning and living conditions. Many alumni of this great institution would be shocked by the current reality. Yet, this is the truth that must be confronted. Anyone in doubt should visit and witness first-hand the extent of decay. There is an urgent need for intervention, from the alumni community, government, international agencies, and development partners, to rescue the university from further decline.
Encouragingly, under the leadership of Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, the 16th Vice-Chancellor, there are signs of renewal. The university is gradually transforming into a construction hub, with visible rehabilitation efforts across multiple sectors.
Projects are ongoing at the vice-chancellor’s office, along major roads such as Elias Road, and within classrooms and administrative buildings. Some of these have already been completed and put to use, while others are in progress.
In addition, the vice-chancellor has established an anti-corruption committee in line with his administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and fairness—an essential step toward institutional reform.
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Regarding the abandoned hostels, findings indicate that the current administration plans to commence extensive rehabilitation once students vacate for holidays. This is a welcome development.
However, given the enormity of the task and potential financial constraints, the university management may need to explore Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements with credible organizations, companies, or individuals. Such collaborations, if properly structured, can deliver results efficiently while ensuring affordability for students.
As the administration of Ortuanya settles into office, the greatest challenge before it is not merely the routine management of university affairs, but the comprehensive rescue and repositioning of the institution, both academically and infrastructurally. The level of decay inherited across sectors presents a herculean task that cannot be tackled in isolation.
Finally, the rescue of UNN is not just an administrative duty, it is a collective responsibility. The institution stands today at a defining crossroads: one path leads to continued decline, the other to restoration and renewed glory. The choice must be deliberate and urgent. With visionary leadership, sustained reforms, and the active support of alumni, government, and partners, the university can rise again. The dignity of man, which UNN symbolizes, must not be allowed to fade into memory. The time to act is now, so that the lion and the lioness may once again be produced, not in dwindling numbers, but ceaselessly, boldly, and excellently.
•Ezea writes from Amuwo Odofin, Lagos State.
