Gladness Gideon
Acting Vice Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University, Prof. Lar Patricia Manko, has recounted her efforts in restoring peace, institutional morale, and academic focus to the university following months of leadership crises and deep internal division.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Prof. Manko, a Professor of Microbiology, revealed that within five months of her appointment by President Bola Tinubu, she has led a comprehensive governance overhaul and successfully reconciled fractured unions and administrative discord at the institution formerly known as the University of Abuja.
Manko was appointed on February 6, 2025, following the federal government’s dissolution of the university’s governing council. Her predecessor, Prof. Aisha Maikudi, had briefly served as acting Vice Chancellor amid controversy over procedural irregularities in her elevation to the role.
Describing the atmosphere she met upon assuming office as “toxic,” Manko said the university was plagued by factionalism, widespread discontent, and over 300 unresolved petitions related to staff promotions and welfare.
“There were anomalies in appointments, prolonged delays in staff promotion—some for more than six years—dilapidated infrastructure, and a system that stifled student activism,” she said.
To address the challenges, Manko appointed three senior professors as advisers on academics, administration, and research, and reorganised department and directorate leadership to restore credibility and merit.
In a notable step, she approved long-delayed promotions for over 40 senior academic staff, including Professors and Associate Professors, and began cleaning up irregularities in over 200 admissions.
“I ensured fairness in staff promotion and restored legitimacy to university appointments,” she said.
On the student front, Manko reinstated student union elections and relaunched the Directorate of Student Affairs. She also hosted a town hall meeting on July 10 to engage directly with the student body on welfare issues.
“I reversed a repressive system and supported a peaceful student union election,” she noted.
The acting VC also brokered peace among key staff unions—ASUU, SSANU, and NASU—previously locked in protracted disputes. “Through diplomacy and dialogue, I reconciled aggrieved factions. The university now enjoys a stable working environment,” she added.
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Academic delivery has improved, Manko said, with smooth lectures and hitch-free examinations due to increased faculty commitment.
In infrastructure, she detailed ongoing repairs of lecture halls, new borehole approvals, and upgrades to hostel toilet facilities. Through TETFUND support, laboratories in biomedical sciences and engineering are being equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostic tools.
Manko also secured partnerships with corporate entities for new hostel construction, entrepreneurship hubs, and agricultural centres. The university recently hosted the launch of a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) plant and received CNG buses and tricycles, drastically reducing transport costs for students.
To improve campus mobility, she initiated a free intra-campus bus shuttle service and mandated the development of a mobile transport app for organised commuting.
As part of a digital transformation drive, Manko launched the “Smart Campus Abuja” initiative in collaboration with NITDA and private tech partners, bringing high-speed Wi-Fi to classrooms and student hostels.
Under her leadership, students have been engaged in entrepreneurship training through the SIWES Centre, while efforts have been made to build relationships with traditional communities near the campus to maintain peace and security.
Prof. Manko expressed optimism about the future of the university, citing the calibre of its newly constituted board and council members.
“With a proactive interim administration and a capable governing council, Yakubu Gowon University is poised for institutional transformation, improved global ranking, and strengthened research output,” she said.