… How the Only Female Contender, Professor *Patricia Manko Lar, Steals the Show
By Bagudu Mohammed
The suspense surrounding the succession of Professor Tanko Ishaya as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jos has entered a more interesting phase. What was previously a subject of speculation, social media conversations and informal endorsements is gradually becoming a contest of identifiable personalities, competing visions and institutional possibilities.
And if the latest development is anything to go by, one personality appears to be attracting attention beyond the usual calculations of academic seniority and administrative experience.
A report by The Punch newspaper on November 10, 2026, disclosed that eight professors are jostling for the university’s top position. Seven of them participated in a stakeholders’ interaction organised by the University’s Advancement Office in collaboration with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), at the union’s secretariat on the Naraguta Campus. They presented their visions and responded to questions about how they intended to manage the institution if appointed.
Interestingly, the development brings a familiar question back into public consciousness: could UNIJOS finally produce its first female Vice-Chancellor? More significantly, could Professor Patricia Lar, whose name had featured prominently in earlier public conversations about the succession, become the woman to break that historical barrier?
There is something particularly remarkable about her position in this contest. She is the only woman among the publicly identified contenders, surrounded by accomplished male professors with their own academic reputations and administrative credentials. Yet, rather than being overshadowed by the weight of the male-dominated contest, her presence appears to have added another dimension to the race. She is not simply representing a gender alternative; she brings a record that makes her a serious contender in her own right.
Indeed, her emergence among the aspirants lends fresh relevance to the expectations expressed in my earlier article, All Eyes Are Fixed on Prof. Patricia Lar Manko. At the time, the conversation was largely about public sentiment and the possibility of history. Today, that possibility has acquired a more practical expression.
To be fair, the University of Jos is not short of distinguished academics in this contest. Professor Ikonne Ogaji, whose name leads the list of those reported to have attended the interaction, is an accomplished scholar in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology. A former Dean of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and immediate past Head of Department, his academic qualifications, research interests in drug delivery and affordable medicines, as well as international exposure, make him a formidable academic personality. His credentials deserve recognition, and his presence reinforces the quality of the competition.
Professor Victor Duga brings considerable experience in Theatre and Media Studies, development communication and social change. Professor Sati Fwatshak, a respected historian and former Dean of the Faculty of Arts, offers decades of institutional experience and scholarly contributions to African history. Professor Anthony Dakum has his own academic and administrative experience in Zoology and the Faculty of Natural Sciences.
Professor Simon Yiltok, a distinguished medical practitioner and Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, brings experience from the College of Health Sciences, where he served as Provost, and the Faculty of Medical Sciences, where he was Dean. His contributions to medical education and the development of new programmes are equally noteworthy.
Professor Bernard Matur Malau also enters the race with substantial administrative experience, having served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Veritas University, Commissioner for Higher Education in Plateau State and substantive Vice-Chancellor of Plateau State University, Bokkos. His experience in leading a university is undoubtedly an asset. However, the question before UNIJOS should not simply be who has occupied the highest office before, but who offers the most suitable combination of experience, institutional understanding, vision and capacity for the university’s next phase.
This distinction deserves consideration. A previous substantive vice-chancellorship, particularly in a state university, is an important credential, but it should not automatically confer an advantage over other candidates. University leadership is not a trophy collected from one institution and transferred to another. The scale, character, traditions and administrative demands of institutions differ. Experience must therefore be assessed in context, rather than treated as an automatic qualification for another tenure.
Indeed, there is a broader institutional question worth asking: should Nigeria’s universities continue recycling a relatively small circle of individuals from one substantive vice-chancellorship to another when other equally qualified academics have demonstrated the capacity to lead? Leadership should also create opportunities for new generations of academics to grow, contribute and acquire higher administrative experience. Continuity is valuable, but it should not become a permanent arrangement that limits institutional renewal.
This is where Professor Lar’s relative youthfulness among the contenders becomes another interesting consideration. Born on January 1, 1964, she is 62, but has already accumulated decades of academic and administrative experience. She represents an opportunity to combine maturity with the energy and longer professional horizon that a new generation of university leadership can offer. The university should not necessarily equate the number of previous top appointments with superior capacity.
Beyond symbolism, her credentials are substantial. A Professor of Medical Microbiology at UNIJOS, she earned her first degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and her postgraduate degrees from the University of Lagos. Her research covers infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance and other important areas of medical science. She has served as Head of Department, Director of Linkages, member of the governing council and in various university governance capacities.
Perhaps more significantly, her appointment as Acting Vice-Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University, formerly University of Abuja, in February 2025 gave her an opportunity to operate at the highest level of university administration within the federal university system. Her stewardship involved institutional coordination, staff welfare, academic administration and efforts towards administrative stability. That experience distinguishes her from candidates whose leadership exposure, however impressive, has not included acting at the helm of a federal university.
The question, therefore, is not whether the other candidates are qualified. Clearly, they are accomplished individuals with contributions to make. It is whether UNIJOS is ready to embrace a combination of academic competence, institutional experience, generational renewal and an opportunity to correct a longstanding gender imbalance.
For 55 years, the University of Jos has produced distinguished academics and administrators, yet no woman has occupied its highest executive office. Other Nigerian universities have demonstrated that female academics can successfully lead major institutions. UNIJOS should not be an exception simply because history has always favoured one pattern of leadership.
The stakeholders’ engagement itself, as encouraged by ASUU Chairman Professor Joseph Molwus, is a welcome development. As former Vice-Chancellor Professor Nanven Gambo reminded the aspirants, the instruments of power must be managed responsibly to advance the institution. Ultimately, the university needs a leader who can unite its diverse constituencies, strengthen academic standards, improve staff and student welfare, attract research partnerships and position UNIJOS for greater national and international relevance.
The final decision belongs to the appropriate statutory authorities, not social media enthusiasm or public sentiment. Nevertheless, public expectations are part of the conversation, and they deserve to be acknowledged.
For now, the men have their credentials, the university has its choices, and Professor Patricia Manko Lar has something more: the possibility of making history while offering a credible argument for why that history should be made.
Could the next photograph of a UNIJOS Vice-Chancellor finally feature a woman? The race is not over, but Professor Lar has certainly given the public another reason to keep its eyes fixed on Jos.
Bagudu Mohammed is the founder of Alternative Perspectives, a widely read commentary platform on social media, and writes a weekly newspaper column published every Monday on the back page of Peoples Daily.Web: https://alternativeperspective.onrender.com
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