Jos — A total of 24 professors, 19 of them from the University of Jos (Unijos), have filed applications for appointment to head the 40-year old university as its 10th Vice Chancellor (VC), Daily Trust can report.

The tenure of the current VC, Professor Hayward Mafuyai ends on June 22, according to the university spokesman, Abdullahi Abdullahi, who confirmed that 22, not 24 applicants, are jostling to succeed him.

“Yes, a total of 22 professors have applied for the position of VC. Yes, most of them are from Unijos; I think between 18 or 19 are from the university,” Abdullahi said, adding, “Maybe the selection board will have to sit down to prune the number. That will be the next assignment before the selection. But all have met the criteria.”

He said the selection board, set up by the governing council, will schedule three days for the selection process expected within the month.

Meanwhile, the Unijos chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has invited the applicants to a town hall scheduled next Monday, to know their vision.

“I can’t say for now the number of professors that have applied for the position. We heard 24, and later 19. But we have organised a town hall where we expect them to tell the university community about their vision for the university,” Dr. Christopher Piwuna, chairman of ASUU told Daily Trust on phone.

Professor Mafuyai had said at a recent convocation ceremony which also marked the 40th anniversary of the university, that he would leave the seat a happy administrator because his tenure saw a substantial movement of the institution from the old and temporary campus along Bauchi Road in the Plateau State capital, to the new site along Bauchi Road Junction-Farin-Gada Road.

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Race to become Unijos VC hots up