A civil society organization, Concerned Enugu Citizens, has raised alarm over what it described as a coordinated smear campaign being plotted against the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Professor Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, and his administration.
The group alleged that a clique of disgruntled individuals within and outside the university system were orchestrating a “malicious media onslaught” aimed at discrediting the Vice-Chancellor’s reform-driven leadership.
Speaking to journalists, the group’s Public Relations Officer, Comrade Davidson Eze, said the plan involves a series of sponsored press conferences and publications designed to tarnish Professor Ortuanya’s reputation and derail the administration’s ongoing transformation agenda.
“This is not a disagreement over policy but a calculated attempt to derail progress out of sheer bitterness and vested interests,” Eze said.
According to him, the masterminds are “a familiar clique of the old guard”—individuals who once dominated the university’s internal politics and are unable to accept Ortuanya’s emergence as Vice-Chancellor.
“The motivation is as clear as it is petty,” he said. “These are people who thought the leadership of UNN was their exclusive birthright. Having lost out, they have refused to forgive Professor Ortuanya for his emergence. To them, he remains an outsider who must be cut down to size for daring to succeed where they failed.”
Eze described the alleged plotters as those who “presided over decades of decay” in the university, allowing once-proud facilities to collapse.
“For over four decades, they watched as student hostels crumbled, staff quarters deteriorated, and lecture halls faded. The university’s infrastructure was in ruins,” he said. “Professor Ortuanya met UNN on its knees and, instead of lamenting, he rolled up his sleeves to rebuild.”
Eze praised the Vice-Chancellor’s early reforms, noting that his hands-on approach and commitment had rekindled hope across the university community.
“He toured every dilapidated structure, met staff and students, and made a vow to restore UNN’s lost glory,” he recalled. “The enthusiasm was electric, the commitment genuine. For the first time in years, people believed in change again.”
The group said these visible achievements have unsettled the “old establishment”, who benefited from the university’s stagnation and are now threatened by Ortuanya’s drive for transparency and excellence.
“As their legacy of neglect is being erased, they have chosen not to join the rebuilding effort but to sabotage it,” Eze stated.
He called on the public, stakeholders, and members of the university community to resist the impending propaganda, describing it as a battle for the soul of Nigeria’s first indigenous university.
“This is not just about one man—it’s about the future of UNN,” he warned. “We must not allow bitterness and personal ambition to hold our national treasure hostage.”
Eze urged those behind the smear campaign to desist and support the Vice-Chancellor’s vision.
“There is only one Vice-Chancellor at a time,” he said. “Rather than wasting energy plotting malicious attacks, they should align with his mission to restore the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, to its rightful place as the pride of African academia.”
A focused leader outlives propaganda and smear campaign, action must be taken against those who cause public disorder or organise illegal protest without permission. The arm of the law is long enough to reach any where and no body is above the law.