By Chinedum Ugwu
Leadership is not defined by the title one occupies, the length of time spent in office, or the volume of promises made.
It is defined by vision, courage, capacity, character and, most importantly, measurable impact. In just one year at the helm of affairs of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Simon Uchenna Ortuanya has offered a compelling answer to the perennial question of what purposeful leadership should look like.
Across the length and breadth of Enugu State, Nigeria and the global academic community, the name Prof. Simon Uchenna Ortuanya is reverberating, while the institution under his watch is witnessing what many describe as an unprecedented transformation.
Testimonies, accolades, commendations, prayers, organic support and encomiums continue to pour in, reflecting the growing appreciation of his giant strides within a relatively short period in office.
Who is he?
He is no other person than Prof. Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, a renowned legal scholar, accomplished public administrator, the 16th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the first indigenous Vice-Chancellor of the University more than six decades after its establishment.
His emergence as the helmsman of the renowned Ivory Tower exactly one year ago was, however, greeted with mixed feelings, agitations and doubts. Some critics described him as an outsider or politician who had no place in the academic environment, particularly because of his previous service as Commissioner for Education and Secretary to the State Government (SSG) of Enugu State.
But even amidst the initial reservations, distractions and criticisms, few, if any, questioned his capacity, track record of excellent performance or integrity in public office.
Faced with the distractions and what appeared to be sponsored social-media criticisms that greeted his administration at the outset, Prof. Ortuanya remained calm, strategic, undaunted, focused, assertive, proactive and strong-willed.
He came prepared.
He knew where he was going, understood the challenges before him and, more importantly, knew how to navigate the terrain to achieve his objectives.
Perhaps that explains why, within just one year in office, some of the armchair critics and detractors of his administration have increasingly become unwilling promoters and celebrants of the transformation taking place across the university.
Indeed, while some, particularly politicians and their cohorts, may continue to argue that one year is not enough to assess the performance of a leader, Prof. Ortuanya has demonstrated through remarkable, landmark and verifiable interventions that a year is sufficient to establish the direction of a leadership and provide a compelling indication of what the future holds.
After all, morning tells much about the day.
Leadership is also about bringing to the table what one possesses.
One cannot consistently give what one does not have. In Prof. Ortuanya's case, what he has brought to UNN is leadership, capacity, vision, courage and direction, and these qualities are increasingly visible in the transformation of the institution.
That is what he has given the University of Nigeria in his first year.
And for this, he deserves the standing ovations and applause coming from different quarters across the country and beyond.
Both social media and mainstream media have been agog with reports, discussions and commendations of Prof. Ortuanya's apparent Midas touch, revolutionary leadership and the unprecedented changes taking place at UNN.
Perhaps one of the greatest lessons from his first year is that performance remains the most potent response to criticism.
Prof. Ortuanya has demonstrated that one of the easiest ways to silence armchair criticism and sponsored media attacks in public office is to perform creditably, accountably and transparently.
When a leader's works are visible and his results are tangible, the achievements begin to speak for him.
Indeed, when performance speaks loudly, the job of the image-maker becomes considerably easier because people begin to voluntarily tell the story of the transformation they can see and experience.
While Prof. Ortuanya's giant strides in the last one year may be too numerous to catalogue in a single article, a visit to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, offers a practical opportunity to assess the changes.
The Lion has not merely roared again; the roar is being felt in concrete transformation and the dignity of man has been restored.
From the asphalting and rehabilitation of major roads to the rehabilitation of previously abandoned hostel facilities; from improved staff welfare to creating a more conducive environment for teaching and learning; from strengthening discipline and institutional order to providing a renewed sense of direction, purpose and pride within the university community, the footprints of a determined administration are becoming increasingly evident.
In these and many other areas, Prof. Ortuanya is steadily demonstrating that leadership is not about occupying an office, but about transforming an institution.
The leadership and bigger question, therefore, is no longer whether Prof. Ortuanya belongs in the academic environment. The results of his first year in office are providing their own answer.
The more pertinent question is: What more can a leader achieve when given the opportunity, resources and institutional support to consolidate his vision?
If the first year is any indication, the University of Nigeria may yet witness an even more remarkable transformation in the years ahead.
It is therefore hoped that, before the completion of his tenure, Prof. Ortuanya will consider establishing a School or Centre for Leadership Training and Development at the University of Nigeria, where aspiring and serving political leaders, public office holders, administrators and public servants can come to study leadership, governance, accountability, strategic thinking and institutional transformation.
Such an institution would be a fitting legacy for a Vice-Chancellor whose first year in office has generated a compelling conversation about leadership itself.
Prof. Simon Uchenna Ortuanya's first year may be only a chapter, but it is already a chapter written in the language of vision, courage, capacity and results.
The ultimate test of leadership is not how loudly one speaks, nor how fiercely one's critics attack, but what remains better because one had the opportunity to lead.
If the roads are better, the hostels are returning to life, staff welfare is improving, discipline is being restored, the learning environment is becoming more conducive and confidence in the institution is being renewed, then the leadership question is gradually answering itself.
At UNN, the Lion has roared. More importantly, the roar is producing results.
And perhaps, in years to come, history will judge the first year of Prof. Ortuanya, not merely as the beginning of another administration, but as the beginning of a new leadership era at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
