AE-FUNAI VC Clocks 100 Days: New Programmes, Scholarships, Solar Lights, and a University Being Rebuilt
Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike (AE-FUNAI) is looking and feeling different. One hundred days after Prof. Daniel C. Nwachukwu assumed office as the institution’s 4th substantive Vice-Chancellor on February 11, 2026, the university has recorded a string of reforms spanning academics, infrastructure, student welfare, and governance — changes that are already visible on campus and on paper.
According to a detailed statement released by the university’s Public Relations Officer, Elom Iyke Ubochi, the first 100 days have been defined by speed, structure, and a clear sense of direction.
Governance Overhaul From Day One
One of the earliest moves under Prof. Nwachukwu was a push to democratize how the university is run. Faculty Deans are now elected by their faculty boards rather than appointed — a significant shift toward academic self-governance. The College of Medical Sciences was also granted semi-autonomous status, a decision the PRO says is already easing coordination and opening doors for expanded clinical training.
A quarterly performance review system was introduced, requiring deans to present reports on achievements, challenges, and targets to university management — a mechanism designed to keep the administration accountable to its own goals.
Students Feel the Difference
On the welfare front, 650 new mattresses and 120 fans have been distributed to hostels across campus, and renovation of the female hostel C has been completed. The Bursary and Registry departments are being digitalized, with the inter and intra-university transfer process already fully online.
Perhaps the most striking student-facing achievement is a N60 million, 10-year scholarship for 20 indigent students, sourced through a strategic contact with Hon. Nkemkanma Kama and funded by OPAY Digital Services. The university’s PRO described it as “unprecedented in the annals of the institution.”
10 Programmes Fully Accredited
Academic credibility got a boost as the university secured full NUC accreditation for 10 programmes including Business Administration, Criminology and Security Studies, and Public Administration. While the groundwork was laid by the previous administration, the milestone was consolidated under the current VC’s watch.
New programmes have also been approved by the university Senate across multiple faculties — covering areas like Hotel Management and Tourism, Medical Radiography, Urban and Regional Planning, Physiotherapy, Optometry, Social Work, and Library and Information Science, among others.
An AI Institute and New Academic Centres
In a forward-looking move, AE-FUNAI has launched the Institute for Future Skills and Innovation, with Artificial Intelligence as its flagship focus. The institute is designed to build practical AI and data science capacity among students and staff.
Three new centres were also approved by Senate: the AE-FUNAI Business School (to be based in Abakaliki), a Centre for Distance Learning with study centres planned across Abuja, Lagos, Enugu, Onitsha, and Aba, and a Centre for Advancement and Strategic Contacts.
Campus Infrastructure Getting an Upgrade
Approximately 150 solar street lights have been mounted from the university’s main gate to the Senate Building, through the College of Medical Sciences and Faculty of Law axis — eliminating the darkness that had long been a security concern at night. The University Medical Centre now runs on independent solar power, ending what the PRO called a long era of “epileptic power supply” at the facility.
New building projects are underway or in the pipeline, including a Faculty of Health and Allied Sciences building, a TETFund-funded student hostel, and another hostel to be funded by the Federal Ministry of Finance. A Senator representing Ebonyi North, Onyekachi Nwebonyi, also pledged a Faculty of Law auditorium worth approximately N200 million.
Staff Welfare and Human Kindness
The administration approved the full payment of death benefits to families of deceased staff — cases that had reportedly stalled before Prof. Nwachukwu assumed office. A new TETFund Desk Officer for Academic Staff Training was appointed, and the TETFund Committee was reconstituted for greater transparency. Omitted junior staff from the previous upgrade exercise have also been cleared for immediate upgrade.
Community and Affiliate Reach
On the community front, the university ran an essay competition for secondary school students in Ikwo and awarded scholarships to three top performers from its host community. New affiliate agreements were signed with Marist Polytechnic Enugu and AE-FUTHA College of Nursing Sciences Abakaliki, expanding the university’s regional footprint.
What Comes Next
At the 100-day mark, the administration has signalled that the pace will not slow. Priorities going forward include scaling digital systems, expanding accommodation, growing the university’s global ranking, and ensuring the Institute for Future Skills becomes operational.
As Ubochi, the university’s PRO, put it in his statement: AE-FUNAI “is not waiting for the future. It is building it.”
Source: Official statement by Elom Iyke Ubochi, Public Relations Officer, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State.