From Graduate Assistant to Vice-Chancellor: UNIJOS Appoints Patricia Lar as First Female VC

The University of Jos has appointed Professor Patricia Mamko Lar as its 11th substantive Vice-Chancellor and the first woman to occupy the position since its establishment in 1971.

The appointment was announced on Thursday, November 12, 2026, by the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the University’s Governing Council, Senator Grace Folashade Bent, during a special meeting of the 15th Governing Council, ValidViewNetwork reports.

THE APPOINTMENT

Lar succeeds Professor Tanko Ishaya, whose tenure as Vice-Chancellor is coming to an end.

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The announcement was contained in a statement issued by Emmanuel Madugu, Deputy Registrar, Information and Public Relations, on behalf of the Registrar and Secretary to Council.

Presenting the letter of appointment to the incoming Vice-Chancellor, Bent charged her to remain focused in the discharge of her responsibilities. “Be focused,” the Pro-Chancellor said .

THE JOURNEY

Professor Lar is a Professor of Medical Microbiology at the University of Jos, a position she has held since 2015.

She joined the university as a graduate assistant in 1987. She had previously served as Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja from February to August 2025.

Born on January 1, 1961, Lar’s appointment marks a historic milestone for the university.

THE CONTEXT

The appointment of a female Vice-Chancellor is a significant development in Nigeria’s university system, where women remain underrepresented in top leadership positions.

The University of Jos, established in 1971, has had 10 substantive Vice-Chancellors before Lar, all of them men .

WHY IT MATTERS

This is a moment of history for the University of Jos. For more than five decades, the institution has been led by men.

Now, for the first time, a woman will sit in the Vice-Chancellor’s chair.

Lar is not a newcomer. She has spent nearly four decades at UNIJOS, rising from graduate assistant to professor. She has served as Acting Vice-Chancellor elsewhere.

She knows the institution, and she knows the job. The charge from the Pro-Chancellor was simple: “Be focused.”

The university community is watching. The women of Nigeria are watching. And Lar, the first female Vice-Chancellor of UNIJOS, has an opportunity to make history, not just by holding the office, but by what she does with it. ValidViewNetwork reports.