Defending Progress: Why We Must Reject the Smear Campaign Against Prof. Patricia Manko Lar

In an era where truth is often sold to the highest bidder and headlines are written to please the desperate pockets of political jobbers, we at the University of Abuja must rise above the noise and call falsehood by its name. The recent coordinated media campaign against our Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Patricia Manko Lar, is not only embarrassing — it is shameful, disgraceful, and wholly unjustified.

How can we as students sit back and watch while a few misinformed alumni and their rent-a-pen allies launch an all-out assault against the one woman who has brought sanity, vision, and integrity back to our institution? Since assuming office, Prof. Lar has done what others before her could not even imagine. In a matter of months, she restored democratic leadership by reinstating the Student Union Government (SUG), she renovated our decaying hostels, improved the condition of our lecture halls, and revived a long-lost sense of belonging among students. These are not theories — these are facts you can touch, feel, and point at on campus.

Yet, a handful of disgruntled elements — many of whom couldn’t even organize a proper alumni election without court intervention — now parade themselves as moral watchdogs. These are the same people who sat idly while the system decayed under their watch, and now, out of nowhere, they have found their voices to criticize a woman who has done more for the University of Abuja in a few months than many did in years.

Let’s address the so-called "controversy" they are screaming about. The university, under the wisdom of the Senate and the leadership of Prof. Lar, granted academic amnesty to a few students involved in exam malpractice — a move aimed not at encouraging wrongdoing but at restoring hope and giving a second chance. Are we now pretending that even the best institutions don’t grant amnesty when reform and redemption are evident?

If Claudine Gay, the former president of Harvard University, could be granted institutional support in the face of a global plagiarism scandal, why can’t we understand that every educational system — even the Ivy Leagues — has a duty to rehabilitate, not just punish?

The false accusation that the amnesty was granted to “politically connected” students is nothing but the typical poison brewed by those who want to weaponize misinformation. Where is the evidence? Where are the names? These faceless attackers, many hiding behind the comfort of anonymous news blogs and social media, are not interested in truth — they are interested in power, in vendettas, and in drawing the name of our Vice Chancellor through the mud because it suits their bitter political narrative.

Let us be clear: alumni are meant to give back, not take away the dignity of their alma mater with smear campaigns and petty gossip. Instead of bringing projects, scholarships, or mentorship to the current students, some of them have become barking dogs, trading respect for relevance.

But we, the students of this university, will not be quiet. We will not allow the legacy of Prof. Patricia Manko Lar to be sabotaged by people who couldn’t even show up when we needed them most. Her leadership is not perfect — no leadership is — but it is purposeful. It is transparent. And most importantly, it is for the students.

To those calling for her resignation, know this: you are not only enemies of UNIBUJA — you are enemies of Nigeria’s unity and academic integrity. If you cannot support the progress here, at least do not pull it down.

We, the watchful eyes on campus, are ready to fetch you out of your hiding places if this nonsense continues.

Enough is enough.

#IStandWithProfLar

#UNIABUJAProgress

#TruthOverPropaganda