Tinubu Shakes Up UniAbuja Leadership, Names New Acting VC

The Federal Government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has approved the appointment of Prof. Mathew Adamu as the new Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja (Yakubu Gowon University).

The announcement was made in a statement issued by the Acting Registrar and Secretary to the Governing Council, Mrs. Roseline Adakayi, who confirmed that Adamu will serve for a three-month term effective Monday, 11 August 2025.

He takes over from Prof. Patricia Manko Lar, who held the position in an acting capacity for six months from February 2025. The statement commended Prof. Lar for providing purposeful leadership, ensuring academic and administrative stability, and initiating the process of appointing a substantive Vice-Chancellor.

According to Adakayi, Prof. Adamu is tasked with supporting the Governing Council, led by Sen. Dr. Olanrewaju Tejuoso, to conclude the selection process for a substantive Vice-Chancellor in line with statutory guidelines. The University community expressed gratitude to Prof. Lar for her dedicated service and commitment to excellence.

Profile of Prof. Mathew Adamu

Prof. Adamu is a distinguished veterinary scholar with over 27 years of professional experience. He obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (1998) and MSc (2006) from the University of Maiduguri, and a PhD in Veterinary Surgery (2012) from the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

He is a Fellow of the College of Veterinary Surgeons of Nigeria and a Professor of Veterinary Parasitology and Entomology (Helminthology) since 2019. His career spans teaching, research, extension services, and postgraduate supervision.

Adamu has held numerous leadership roles, including Head of Department, Deputy Dean, Director of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (now Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University). He is also President of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria.

An accomplished researcher with over 50 scholarly publications and a patented invention (South African Patent No. 2014/0547 – Anthelmintic Medicament), Prof. Adamu has earned international recognition, including the 2015 Bronze Medal for Best Thesis from the South African Association of Botanists.

His academic collaborations have taken him to the US, Spain, South Africa, Lesotho, The Gambia, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire.