HISTORY
Nnamdi Azikiwe University came into being as an off-shoot of the defunct Anambra State University of Technology (ASUTECH). ASUTECH, established by the Anambra State University of Technology statute, operated as a multi-campus University, with Campuses in Abakaliki and Enugu –in what is now Enugu State– and Awka and Nnewi –in what is now Anambra State. Following the split of the former Anambra State into two States –Anambra and Enugu States– the Awka and Nnewi Campuses of the former Anambra State University of Technology, were by the Anambra State Edict No. 5 of November 26, 1991, constituted into Nnamdi Azikiwe University. The Edict upheld Awka and Nnewi as Campuses of the University. The University was taken over by the Federal Government with effect from July 15, 1992. The Rt. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Owelle of Onitsha, after whom the University is named was in the vanguard of the fight against colonialism in Africa and was the doyen of the independence struggle in Nigeria. Believing in the use of education as a veritable tool in the liberation struggle and in the enthronement of the “dignity of man,” he founded the first autonomous Nigerian University. His choice of a name for that University – the University of Nigeria – is an eloquent testimony to his belief in and commitment to Nigerian unity. The Rt. Hon. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was the first indigenous Governor-General of Nigeria and its first President. The University is proud to be named after this renowned statesman and will remain true to the ideals which inspired him.

MISSION STATEMENT
Nnamdi Azikiwe University is founded on the philosophy that knowledge should be propagated and disseminated to individuals without let or hindrance. Teaching and research would be anchored on the needs of the immediate environment and the Nigerian society generally. Rt. Hon. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, after whom the University is named, stands out clearly in the history of university education in Nigeria and Africa in general. In the discharge of its mission, the University shall live up to the ideals of this renowned statesman, by making university education pragmatic, and using it to forge unity among the various communities in Nigeria. The mission of the University is, thus, to use teaching, research and public service to solve societal problems. In the process of learning, students would be oriented to use education in the solution of practical problems confronting them and the Nigerian society. It is hoped that the University's graduates will be able to use their knowledge to lift the society off its agricultural under-production, environmental degradation, and misapplication and/or under-utilization of human and material resources, cultural disorientation, etc.

To achieve these purposes and harness the large pool of qualified secondary school graduands and high calibre human power in the environment of the University, the University will be conventional in scope and outlook, covering wide areas of learning and research.

In totality, the mission of the University is to produce graduates who shall possess the following attributes:

  • a wide and ordered knowledge in a discipline area; the ability to reason logically; the ability to communicate clearly in speech and writing with confidence and fluency; numeracy and computer literacy; accepted moral values as honesty, humility, truthfulness, and high ethical standards in personal and professional life; acceptance of obligations and responsibilities; the desire for long-life education and creativity;
  • self-confidence and result-oriented ability.
OBJECTIVES OF THE UNIVERSITY
Specifically, the Decree establishing the University provides for the under-listed objects:
  • to encourage the advancement of all branches of learning and to hold out to all persons without distinction of race, creed, sex or political conviction, and opportunity of acquiring higher and liberal education; to provide courses of instruction and other facilities for the pursuit of learning in all its branches and to make these facilities available on proper terms to such persons as are equipped to benefit from them; to encourage and promote scholarship and conduct research in all fields of learning and human endeavour; to relate its activities to the social, cultural and economic needs of the people of Nigeria; and
  • to undertake any other activities appropriate for a University of the highest standards.

MOTTO OF THE UNIVERSITY
The motto of the University is “Discipline, Self Reliance and Excellence”. The rationale for this motto is that discipline is a pre-requisite condition for the achievement of any goal. Discipline embodies endurance, continuity and determination to start afresh when previous efforts fail. It is believed that discipline will give rise to self reliance, which entails confidence in one’s self and abilities. The amalgam of a disciplined mind with self confidence will yield excellence.

ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE OF THE UNIVERSITY
Decree No. 34 of July 15 of 1992, which was the legal instrument for setting up Nnamdi Azikiwe University, provided for a Governing Council and a Senate, as the two executive bodies responsible for the affairs of the University. The Senate is responsible for the organization and control of teaching in the University, the admission and discipline of students as well as the promotion of research. The University Decree provides that membership of Senate shall be composed of:

  • the Vice-Chancellor, the Deans of the several Faculties, the Directors of the several Institutes, the Professors, the Librarian,
  • the persons for the time being holding such appointments on the staff of the University as may be specified by the Vice-Chancellor and such teachers (of the rank of Senior Lecturer and above) as may be elected from the members of each faculty.
The Vice-Chancellor is the Chairman of Senate, while the Registrar is Secretary to both Council and Senate. Major Administrative Staff
  • The Vice-Chancellor is the Chief Executive and Chief Academic Officer of the University and directs the activities of the University. The Vice-Chancellor thus heads the University Administration assisted by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor(s). The Registrar is the Chief Administrative Officer of the University responsible to the Vice-Chancellor for the day to day administrative work of the University. The Registrar also serves as the Secretary to both the Council and the Senate. The Bursar is the Chief Financial Officer of the University responsible to the Vice-Chancellor for the day to day administration and control of the financial affairs of the University. The University Librarian is responsible to the Vice-Chancellor for the administration of the University Library and the coordination of all library services in the University. The Director of Works and Estate is responsible for the maintenance of the physical plant, structures and grounds of the University and reports directly to the Vice-Chancellor. The Director of Medical Services is responsible to the Vice-Chancellor for the maintenance of medical services in the University. The Dean of Students’ Affairs is responsible to the Vice-Chancellor for the control and coordination of students’ affairs and activities in the areas of counseling, student organizations, including the student union, student accommodation, etc. There is a Guidance and Counselling Services Centre under the Student Affairs Department. The primary concern of the Centre is to help students develop socially acceptable behaviour. It seeks to help them have better understanding of the University and society at large. There is also the public relations, communication and marketing unit responsible to the Vice chancellor for day to day dissemination of information within and outside the university.
  • The Chief Security Officer is responsible to the Vice-Chancellor for the maintenance of law and order in the University and the safety of University property.

OUR CAMPUSES

Nnamdi Azikiwe University has two campuses: Awka and Nnewi. Awka Campus
Our Awka campus is built in an area spanning over five hundred hectares of land. As it is now, there is a vast expanse of land for development and expansion. Modern architecture stands proud in this campus:

The magnificient twin-block main admnistrative building

 

  • The magnificent twin-block main administrative building; University Auditorium with capacity of 3,000; Central Lecture/Examination Hall; Central Utility Building; Office complex for faculties; AfriHUB ICT Centre, an ultra-modern information technology centre, with over 400 computers and other state-of-the-art equipment;
  • Ultra-modern digital library with over 200 computers and other state-of-the-art ICT equipment.
  • AfriHUB ICT Centre

Central Lecture/Examination Hall
The 'Science Village', which indeed is a delight to behold, houses the Faculty of Natural Sciences holding well-equipped laboratories. The 'Student Village' provides accomodation to about 5,000 students. Nnewi Campus
Nnewi campus is located at a serene part ofthe industrial city, Okofia Nnewi. There are also fine architectural complexes doting the entire landscape. Hostels, lecture theatres, examination halls, faculty blocks, and then the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital — a centre of medical excellence. Our medical graduates are second to none in the country.