Professor Charles Okechukwu Esimone, immediate past substantive Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, is set to receive the Anambra Man of the Year Award as the best public servant tomorrow March Saturday twenty-second, 2025. The event, which will be held at the Stanel Dome, Awka, recognizes Professor Esimone’s exceptional service and far-reaching achievements during his tenure as the Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University from 2019 to 2024.
Upon assuming office, he unveiled his ambitious “Project Two Hundred ” vision, aiming to propel UNIZIK into the ranks of the top “Two Hundred” universities in the world and best in Nigeria. Anchored on the ACADA mantra which stands for Academic Excellence, Community Service, Administrative Reforms, Discipline, and Advancements in Infrastructure, which served as a compass throughout his administration. By the end of his tenure in 2024, UNIZIK had ascended to become the fourth best university in Nigeria, thirty-first in Sub-Saharan Africa and leaped from four thousand four hundred and forty-seventh position to one thousand five hundred and one in the global ranking, a testament to the power of focused leadership.
To realize his vision, Professor Esimone implemented several strategic initiatives.
His administration harnessed social and infrastructural dividends of Public-Private Partnerships and collaborations, resulting in projects like new dual ultramodern parks, the Octagon Twin Lake Golf Course, over one thousand lockup shops and the ongoing BUA students’ center.
Professor Esimone established the Institute for Peace, Security and Development as an avenue for harnessing modalities to curb insecurity and under-development.
He equally ensured inclusiveness for the physically challenged persons through the Centre for Disability and Special Needs Research and catered to the psychological and career needs of staff and students through the Centre for Counselling and Career Development.
Among so many other achievements, he worked to forestall all forms of academic fraud and quackery in teaching and learning delivery through the Directorate of Quality Assurance and Certificate Verification. As part of his Community Service initiative, he addressed critical health needs in the region through the establishment of Urological and Oncological Centers at Neni and Nnewi respectively.
He transformed the UNIZIK Business School into a leading African institution and positioned the directorate of sports in the African sporting world.
Professor Esimone created new undergraduate and postgraduate programs, additional facilities, and facilitating the accreditation of existing ones. Despite disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic and industrial strike actions, Professor Esimone’s administration stabilized the academic calendar of the university, ensuring that no academic session was lost and also ensured the convocation of all graduates within his tenure.
He also fostered, quality research, and publication in high-impact journals, resulting in global visibility and recognition for UNIZIK academics and more inaugural lectures.
The former VC prioritized timely appraisals, unfettered promotions and capacity-building training for both teaching and non-teaching staff members, supporting attendance at local and international conferences.
Professor Esimone’s administration also spearheaded an unprecedented renaissance of infrastructural development in Nnamdi Azikiwe University worth over two hundred million dollars through TETFUND, federal government capital projects, Needs Assessment, IGR, and endowments from individuals and corporations, and as well, ensured the procurement and installation of state-of-the-art equipment for various workshops, laboratories and faculties.
As the first Professor of Pharmaceutical Microbiology in South-Eastern Nigeria, his ground-breaking research on recombinant viral vectors, indigenous medicinal plants and nanomedicine has earned him international recognition, including the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship. As a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science and the Nigerian Academy of Pharmacy, his influence shapes national scientific policy.
Professor Esimone’s unwavering commitment to academic excellence, community service and administrative reform has left an indelible mark on Nnamdi Azikiwe University and the wider Nigerian academic landscape. The Anambra Man of the Year Award is a fitting tribute to a leader who has truly made a difference.
UCHE MICHAEL
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