The Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) has appointed Prof. Andrew Haruna, former Vice President of the Nigerian Academy of Letters as its new Secretary General.

Haruna, who will also double as Secretary General of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Nigerian Federal Universities,  is an accomplished scholar and administrator.

He officially assumed the position following a handover ceremony by his predecessor, Yakubu Ochefu, in Abuja on Monday.

Speaking, Prof Haruna said he would build on his predecessor’s progress, not to dislodge it.

“I am here to build on the foundations laid by my predecessors, not to undo their achievements. Leadership, especially in our community and country, should be about collective progress, not personal accolades,” he said.

While noting that the position is a temporary assignment within academia, not an end point in my academic career, he said, “I am committed to maintaining integrity and honesty and will not compromise on these principles.”

Earlier, the outgoing Secretary General, Prof Ochefu said having served his five years tenure, significant strides were made in the mandate given to him such as reorganizing the CVCNU Secretariat, harmonising their various entities, improving financial standing and enhancing partnerships despite unprecedented challenges.

“Looking back on the past five years, I am proud of the transformative changes we’ve implemented. Our advocacy efforts led to a nearly 300 percent increase in TETFund’s investment in university information technology infrastructure, an essential step toward modernising higher education in the face of global challenges,” he said.