A statement by the Acting Registrar and Secretary to Council, Mrs. Roseline O. Adakayi, said "Adamu takes over from Professor Patricia Manko Lar, who was appointed in February 2025 to serve a six-month tenure in acting capacity."
The Nigerian government has appointed Prof Mathew Adamu as the new Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja.
A statement by the Acting Registrar and Secretary to Council, Mrs. Roseline O. Adakayi, said "Adamu takes over from Professor Patricia Manko Lar, who was appointed in February 2025 to serve a six-month tenure in acting capacity."
According to the statement, "He will serve for a period of three months, effective Monday 11 August 2025."
The release further read: "Adamu succeeds Professor Patricia Manko Lar, who was appointed Acting Vice-Chancellor for a six-month tenure. During her stewardship, Professor Lar provided purposeful leadership, fostered academic and administrative stability and, in concert with the relevant organs of the University, successfully initiated the selection process for the appointment of a substantive Vice-Chancellor."
Adakayi noted that the new Acting Vice-Chancellor is tasked with "supporting the Governing Council, led by Senator Dr Olanrewaju Tejuoso, to conclude the ongoing process for appointing a substantive Vice-Chancellor in line with statutory provisions and guidelines."
She expressed the University community's "sincere gratitude to Professor Lar for her dedicated service, visionary leadership, and unwavering commitment to excellence and institutional progress."
The Acting Registrar also wished Professor Adamu a successful tenure as he "steers the University forward during this transition period."
In July, SaharaReporters reported that the then University of Abuja Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof Patricia Lar, has been accused of compromising the university's integrity by reinstating earlier expelled students in a bid to secure substantive appointment as Vice Chancellor.
Multiple sources within the university community revealed to SaharaReporters on Saturday that Prof. Lar, who assumed the role of Acting VC earlier this year, pardoned the medical students despite the gravity of their offences -- raising concerns about the safety of future patients and the credibility of Nigeria's medical education.
In June, SaharaReporters reported that the House of Representatives Committee on University Education has directed Senator Lanre Tejuoso, Pro-Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University (formerly University of Abuja), to halt the selection and appointment process for a new substantive Vice-Chancellor and Registrar.
This decision follows a petition from 98 university staff members who demanded the immediate restoration of Prof Aisha Sani Maikudi to her position as Vice Chancellor.
SaharaReporters had reported that Professor Maikudi was sacked by President Bola Tinubu on February 6, 2025, along with the dissolution of the university's governing council, citing a protracted crisis over her appointment.
The president appointed Professor Lar Patricia Manko as Acting Vice Chancellor for a six-month term and Senator Tejuoso as Pro-Chancellor.
However, the university staff in petition to the House of Representatives dated May 31, alleged that Professor Maikudi's removal didn't follow the provisions of the Universities Miscellaneous Act of 1993.
According to the Act, a Vice-Chancellor can only be removed by the Governing Council on grounds of gross misconduct or inability to discharge duties. The staff claimed that the federal government violated these provisions and that the governing council's dissolution was unlawful.
One of the sources told SaharaReporters on Saturday that because Professor Patricia is seeking an extension and wants to become the substantive Vice Chancellor, she is trying to curry favour from powerful politicians.
The source added that her decision to grant amnesty was allegedly largely influenced by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
The source further accused Prof. Lar of "watering down the value of academic excellence" to appease political interests, warning that allowing unqualified students back into a medical program could endanger public health.
Sources who spoke to SaharaReporters expressed dismay over the development, describing it as a betrayal of academic standards and a dangerous precedent for other institutions.