Brief History of The University of Nigeria, Nsukka

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN for short, is a Federal University located in Nsukka; Enugu State, Nigeria founded by Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960. It was the first full-fledged indigenous and first autonomous university in Nigeria, modeled upon the American educational system. It is the first land-grant university in Africa and one of the five elite universities in Nigeria.

A law to establish a University in the Eastern Region of Nigeria was passed on the 18th of May, 1955 [6]. This date marked the formal beginning of the history of UNN inspired by the then Premier of the Eastern Region, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. One of the first steps taken by the Eastern Government towards the implementation of its commitment was an invitation to both the United States of America and the United Kingdom to send advisers to help in the planning of physical and educational aspects of the proposed university.

                Under the joint auspices of the Inter-University Council for Higher Education Overseas and the International Co-operation Administration (now the United States Agency for International Development), J.W. Cook, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter, Dr John A. Hannah, President of Michigan State University and Dr Glen L. Taggart, Dean of International Programs at the same university, came to Nigeria in 1958. The team surveyed the site at Nsukka and investigated a great variety of factors pertinent to the establishment of a new university. The results of their efforts were contained in a white paper issued by the Eastern Nigeria Government on 30th of November 1958. They had recommended that the development of the University of Nigeria based upon the concept of service to problems and needs of Nigeria is a desirable project and one that should receive support from any source which could help to make it a sound endeavor. The provisional council authorized by the Eastern Nigeria Legislature was appointed by the Governor in Council in April 1959 and given necessary financial and administrative powers to build a university. It reflected the spirit of international co-operation which gave birth to the institution. It consisted of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Dr. T. Olawale Elias and Dr. Okechukwu Ikejiani from the Federation of Nigeria, J.S. Fulton from the United Kingdom, Dr. Marguerite Cartwright and Dr. Eldon Lee Johnson from the United States of America. The University was formally opened on the 7th of October 1960. Her Royal Highness, Princess Alexandra of Kent, representing Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the Nigerian independence celebrations performed the opening ceremonies and laid the foundation stone of one of the University's early buildings. Classes began on the 17th of October 1960 with an enrollment of 220 students and 13 members of the academic staff. The opening convocation addresses were delivered by the Chairman of the Provisional Council, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first President of the Federation of Nigeria, and by Dr. John A. Hannah, President of Michigan State University, USA. The university was fully autonomous, with the power to grant its own degrees. Technically speaking, it became the first fully-fledged university in Nigeria, since Ibadan was still at that time a university college granting London degrees. It also became the first university established by a Nigerian Regional Government. The University College Ibadan, the oldest university institution, cut its umbilical cord with London in October 1962, becoming the University of Ibadan. In July 1965, it turned out the first graduates holding Ibadan rather than London degrees, by which time Nsukka had produced two crops of graduates and taken all the publicity for turning out the first graduates of an autonomous Nigerian university [7]. Today, the university has 15 Faculties, 102 academic departments and offers 82 undergraduate programs and 211 postgraduate programs [5]. UNN also has four campuses- Nsukka (University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN), Enugu (University of Nigeria Enugu Campus, UNEC), Ituku-Ozalla (University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, UNTH) and Aba (University of Nigeria Aba Campus, UNAC). It celebrated its 50th anniversary on October 2010.

References
[5] University of Nigeria, Nsukka. http://www.unn.edu.ng/academics/faculties/ Retrieved on 17 October 2011.

[6] "The University of Nigeria Speech" by Nnamdi Azikiwe 18th May 1955. http://www.blackpast.org/1955-nnamdi-azikiwe-university-nigeria-speech Retrieved on 24 January 2014.

[7] University Development in Africa- The Nigerian Experience by Chukwuemeka Ike, Oxford University Press, 1976, pp 9

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