A Nigerian professor, Mathew Adamu, has become vice chancellor for the third time, a very rare feat to achieve in the country’s educational sector, where the top job is hotly contested, sometimes resulting in public protests and protracted conflicts among disgruntled professors.
At the weekend, the federal government announced the appointment of Prof. Adamu as the new acting vice chancellor of the University of Abuja, which has now been renamed as Yakubu Gowon University. He has previously served twice as acting vice chancellor at the University of Agriculture, Makurdi during transitional periods, making it the third time that he will hold such position.
A statement signed by Dr. Habib Yakoob, who is the acting director of information and university relations, quoted the acting registrar and secretary to council, Mrs. Roseline Adakayi, saying “Adamu takes over from Professor Patricia Manko Lar, who was appointed for a six-month tenure in acting capacity in February 2025. He will serve for a period of three months, effective Monday 11 August 2025.”
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.”
She also wished Prof. Adamu a successful tenure as he “steers the university forward during this transition period.”
Prof. Adamu is a renowned veterinary scholar, whose academic journey began with a doctor of veterinary medicine degree in 1998, followed by a master of science in 2006, both from the University of Maiduguri. He later obtained his PhD in veterinary surgery from the University of Pretoria, South Africa in 2012.
Recognized for his outstanding contributions to the field, he became a Fellow of the College of Veterinary Surgeons of Nigeria and was promoted in 2019 to full professorship with specialization in veterinary parasitology and entomology (helminthology).
With twenty-seven years of experience as a registered veterinarian, Prof. Adamu has developed a rich career spanning teaching, research, extension services, and both undergraduate and postgraduate supervision.
Having served as a youth corps veterinarian and corps liaison officer in Dan Musa, Katsina State, immediately after graduation, he practiced privately in Minna, Niger State. In early 2006, he moved to the Nigeria Institute for Trypanosomiasis Research in Kaduna before joining the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, now Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, as lecturer II. There, he rose through the ranks to become a full Professor in 2019.
His tenure at Makurdi was defined by purposeful leadership in both academic and administrative realms. Between 2014 and 2018, he oversaw the department of veterinary parasitology and entomology, while concurrently serving as deputy dean of the college of veterinary medicine from 2014 to 2016. He also served as director of the veterinary teaching hospital from 2018 to 2023, and subsequently as dean of the college from March 2023 to the present.
Prof. Adamu has supervised countless postgraduate students through substantial research initiatives culminating in master’s and doctoral degrees. He is a member of several professional bodies, including the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association, the Nigerian Society of Parasitologists, and president of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria, where he previously served as vice president until March 2025.
At the university level, he has held senior governance positions, including serving on the senate, chairing the university security committee, and contributing to the senate business committee and deans and directors’ forum. He has also served as an external examiner at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels across several Nigerian institutions, such as the Universities of Abuja, Nigeria Nsukka, and Ibadan, as well as internationally at the University of Limpopo in South Africa.
The new acting vice chancellor has also taken part in accreditation work of NUC evaluations at the University of Benin and NBTE assessments at the Federal College of Animal Health in Plateau State, along with contributing to the curriculum development for the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Agriculture in Zuru, Kebbi State.
Prof. Adamu’s research output is extensive, with more than fifty scholarly publications in well-regarded journals and conference proceedings. He also holds a patented invention, South African Patent No. 2014/0547, for an “anthelmintic medicament,” recognized by South Africa’s department of science and technology. In 2015, his doctoral research earned him the Bronze Medal for Best Thesis from the South African Association of Botanists. His academic collaborations have led him to multiple countries including the United States, Spain, South Africa, Lesotho, The Gambia, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire.
Professor Adamu’s service has been recognized locally through letters of commendation from the vice chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, and he has twice served as acting vice chancellor at the university during transitional periods.
