10/10/2026
UNN LAUNCHES PRIDE DIGITAL APPLICATION TO STRENGTHEN ACADEMIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE EFFICIENCY
The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has taken another significant step towards institutional modernisation with the launch of PRIDE, a digital application designed to enhance efficiency, transparency, accountability and service delivery across its academic and administrative structures.
Available on the Google Play Store, the application is intended to simplify institutional processes, improve access to relevant information, strengthen monitoring mechanisms and facilitate the seamless coordination of activities across the University. The initiative forms part of the broader digital transformation agenda of the University under the leadership of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simon Uchenna Ortuanya.
At an interactive session with deans, directors, heads of departments and heads of administrative units on October 8, 2028, Professor Ortuanya underscored the imperative of embracing digital innovation as a strategic instrument for addressing institutional challenges and repositioning UNN for greater operational efficiency and global competitiveness.
Describing the initiative as the software component of his rebuilding agenda, the Vice-Chancellor drew a compelling distinction between the University's ongoing rehabilitation of physical infrastructure, roads and other facilities—the hardware component—and the digital systems required to improve institutional processes. Together, these interventions reflect a holistic approach to rebuilding the University, recognising that sustainable institutional development requires investments in both physical infrastructure and the systems that drive organisational performance.
Professor Ortuanya clarified that the application was not designed as an instrument of victimisation or witch-hunting, but as a mechanism for promoting a more efficient, transparent and accountable institutional culture. He emphasised that the University must align its operations with global best practices in the application of technology to teaching, learning, administration and service delivery.
The Vice-Chancellor further highlighted the progress already recorded in the digitisation of academic processes, particularly the online availability of students' results. He explained that PRIDE would strengthen this progress by ensuring that lecturers upload results within stipulated timelines, thereby reducing unnecessary delays in the processing of academic records.
The platform is also expected to facilitate real-time access to relevant information concerning staff and students' lecture attendance and the observance of official working hours. In addition, the proposed digital identity cards for staff and students will serve multiple institutional purposes, including attendance monitoring and the retrieval of students' academic information through scanning.
Another significant prospect of the initiative is the transformation of transcript processing. Professor Ortuanya expressed the University's aspiration to develop a system in which academic transcripts can be generated and printed within minutes, substantially reducing the delays that often characterise the process.
In a statement that captures the ambition underlying the initiative, the Vice-Chancellor declared: “We need a better UNN and we wish to join the world where they are.” This assertion reflects the University's determination to embrace technological advancement as an essential component of institutional excellence, responsiveness and international competitiveness.
The session also featured a demonstration of the application by its developer and the University's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) team. Participants were introduced to the software's functionalities and its potential to facilitate information management, improve administrative coordination and strengthen institutional service delivery. An interactive question-and-answer session subsequently provided an opportunity for participants to seek clarification on various aspects of the system.
The introduction of PRIDE deserves commendation as a forward-looking intervention in the continuing transformation of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. In contemporary higher education, institutional excellence is measured not only by the quality of physical infrastructure or the reputation of academic programmes, but also by the efficiency, transparency, accessibility and responsiveness of the systems through which universities discharge their responsibilities.
By advancing digitalisation alongside the rehabilitation of physical infrastructure, Professor Simon Uchenna Ortuanya is demonstrating an understanding of the multidimensional character of institutional rebuilding. A modern university requires not only functional buildings and accessible roads, but also intelligent systems, accountable processes and an administrative culture that responds effectively to the demands of a changing world.
I therefore commend the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, for this important initiative and for his continuing efforts to reposition the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, for greater efficiency, innovation and global relevance. PRIDE represents a promising step towards a more digitally enabled university, and its ultimate success will depend on effective implementation, staff commitment, system reliability and the collective determination of the University community to embrace change.
The future belongs to institutions that are willing to innovate, adapt and continuously improve. With initiatives such as PRIDE, UNN is taking meaningful steps towards that future.
The rebuilding of UNN continues—not only in its physical structures, but also in its systems, processes and institutional culture.
A better UNN is possible. A digitally empowered UNN is within reach. And the journey towards that destination deserves the support of every Lion and Lioness.
