HOUSE OF REPS RAISE ALARM OVER MASSIVE EXITS OF UNIVERSITY STAFF ACROSS NIGERIA

HOUSE OF REPS RAISE ALARM OVER MASSIVE EXITS OF UNIVERSITY STAFF ACROSS NIGERIA

The House of Representatives Committee on University Education has expressed serious concern over the continuous departure of academic and non-teaching staff from Nigeria’s universities without adequate recruitment to fill the gaps.

Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Abubakar Fulata, stated this on Thursday during an oversight visit to federal and state universities in the South-East. He warned that the trend threatens the stability and quality of higher education in the country.

In a statement released to the media, Fulata highlighted the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), as a major example, disclosing that over 3,000 teaching and non-teaching staff have left the institution since 2019 through retirement or death, yet no approvals have been granted to replace them.

“It is abnormal and dangerous for the university system to continue losing lecturers and non-academic staff without making provisions for replacements,” Fulata said.

He described the situation as unhealthy, noting that approving the recruitment of only 500 replacements out of 3,000 losses creates a manpower imbalance that weakens academic continuity and institutional performance.

The lawmaker urged the Federal Ministry of Education, university governing councils, and other relevant agencies to urgently address the widening manpower gap in the nation’s tertiary institutions. He warned that sustained vacancies could further erode educational standards and productivity.

Fulata also called for strict adherence to the federal character principle in recruitment processes, stressing that some universities fail to reflect national diversity in their staffing composition.

Nigeria’s university system has long faced multiple challenges, including inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, and declining staff morale. These issues have been worsened by the persistent brain drain, as lecturers migrate abroad for better pay and working conditions.

During the Muhammadu Buhari administration, public universities were shut for nearly a full academic session due to prolonged strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

With similar threats of industrial action resurfacing under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, Fulata assured that the committee will continue to engage stakeholders to strengthen university education and reverse the ongoing loss of talent within Nigeria’s academic system.