The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof Simon Ortuanya, has called on humanities and social sciences scholars to move beyond theoretical research and actively guide public policy in Nigeria.
He made this call on Thursday while declaring open the 2026 Hybrid International Conference of the Faculty of Social Sciences at UNN, themed “Security, Governance, and Sustainable Development in a Fast-Changing World.”
Ortuanya urged scholars to stop measuring their worth by the number of publications and start measuring it by the real impact of their work on society.
“We should not measure our worth by the number of our publications rather than by the quality of meaning we return to the lives of our people,” he said.
He warned against the tendency to adopt foreign frameworks without testing them against local realities.
“Most time we are consumers of imported frameworks rather than mediators who test those frameworks against the truth of our communities,” the VC stated.
Ortuanya was represented at the event by Prof Michael Onyia, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Administration.
In the lead paper presentation titled “Unraveling the Trial of Insecurity, Fragile Governance and Poverty,” Prof Damian Odunze of Delta State University argued that security, transparent governance and sustainable development are deeply inseparable.
He urged academics to leave the comfort of the classroom and become active voices in the fight against injustice and bad governance.
“Scholars must step out of the ivory tower and transition from passive observers to active participants, using rigorous research and policy advocacy to directly challenge systemic injustice,” Odunze said.
In his keynote address, Prof Christopher Isike, Head of the Department of Political Sciences at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, warned that rising insecurity across Africa demands urgent and collective action from leaders on the continent.
The Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof Chidi Nzeadibe, said the conference continues the faculty’s tradition of engaging with pressing global and national challenges to offer solutions and policy recommendations.
Dr Olajumoke Ayan, Clinical Assistant Professor at New York University, was among resource persons who presented papers virtually at the international conference.
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