Esimone Assumes Duty As UNIZIK VC 

Raymond Ozoji, Awka
It was a celebration galore at the auditorium of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka Anambra state on 3rd June, 2019. The university witnessed a hitch-free transition from the government of Prof. Joseph Eberendu Ahaneku, the immediate past vice chancellor to a new administration which has Prof. Charles Okechukwu Esimone as the 6th vice chancellor.
Historical facts have it that the hand-over ceremony was one of the most transparent in the life of Nnamdi Azikiwe University as previous transitions were characterised by secrecy and what have you. But the university on 3rd June, 2019 witnessed a new era where an elaborate ceremony was done in the full glare of the public.
On the occasion, the former vice chancellor reeled out some of his achievements which he noted played very significant role in the transformation of the university from what he met on ground upon assumption of office to what it is at the moment upon his exit. Eberendu described Nnamdi Azikiwe University as a prayerful community stressing the need for the new vice chancellor to embrace benefactors and friends of the university for more infrastructural developments in the university. He said also that the new VC had served as Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics) for four years and thereafter served as his Special Adviser on Academic Matters.
According to him, the new VC will surpass his accomplishments because he has utmost confidence in his administrative acumen. Although he observed that  there may be distractions and detractors, he said the new VC should be focused in executing his development agenda for Nnamdi Azikiwe University as the overall objective is to make the institution a world class university.
Dignitaries on the occasion who spoke on the person and personality of the new vice chancellor concurred that Prof. Esimone would cause a monumental difference in the university. One of such very important personalities who lent credence to the new VC’s credentials and qualifications was Prof Chinyere Stella Okunna, who took cognizance of the fact that Prof. Esimone was an intelligent person and that his ability to pilot the affairs of Nnamdi Azikiwe University was not in doubt. Also, an Associate Professor in the Department of Mass Communication of the university, Dr. Ifeoma Dunu, noted that the new vice chancellor would perform creditably well and that his emergence came with a glimmer of hope and great expectations for Nnamdi Azikiwe University community even as she suggested that the VC should touch every sector of the university for an all-round development. He however posited that all hands must be on deck to catapult Nnamdi Azikiwe University from 4, 047 position to the top 200 universities in the world under his watch.
Meanwhile, Prof. Esimone in his maiden address to the University community shortly after his installation as the 6th Vice Chancellor rolled out his work plan for the university saying, “I am coming to this job with a vision primed on promoting the highest standards of academic excellence, productive community service, administrative reforms, discipline and advances in a matrix of human capacity building, infrastructural development, staff and students’ welfare as well as internally generated revenue.”
Esimone was emphatic that research, teaching, discipline, infrastructure and welfare would form his core areas of concern as vice chancellor, stressing that his administration would  observe zero tolerance to plagiarism, sexual harassment and inducement. He added that a mechanism would be put in place to identify culprits and punish them accordingly. He was equally specific that in the realm of discipline, his administration would introduce digital attendance register which would require biometric fingerprints for clocking in and out of work for staff and clock into lecture halls by students pointing out that non-performing staff of the university would be declared redundant and maybe shown the way out.

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