The House of Representatives Committee on University Education has declared its refusal to approve the 2025 budget estimates for Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State, along with other universities whose vice chancellors failed to appear for budget defence sessions at the National Assembly.
This position was announced by Hon. Abubakar Hassan Fulata, Chairman of the House Committee on University Education, during the committee’s deliberations on the 2025 budget defence for universities and inter-university centres.
Fulata stressed the importance of the budget defence exercise, describing it as an opportunity for lawmakers to understand the progress, challenges, and opportunities unique to each institution. He revealed that despite the committee’s oversight visits to federal universities under its jurisdiction, Federal University Gusau not only obstructed their visit but also ignored correspondence regarding the 2024 budget performance and prior fiscal years. Moreover, no representative from the university attended the budget defence session.
The committee also issued a stern warning against breaches of federal character principles in hiring staff and appointing principal officers. It called on vice chancellors and governing councils to address these concerns urgently.
Additionally, the committee advised universities to align the use of internally generated revenue with constitutional requirements, cautioning that unapproved expenditures would be deemed a serious violation of the law.
While highlighting the role of universities in advancing teaching, learning, and research, Fulata expressed dissatisfaction with the limited application of research outputs for practical development.
In response, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Yusuf Ribadu, reiterated the critical role of university education in driving national development. He assured lawmakers that the commission would take necessary actions to improve the system.
Ribadu also outlined major challenges confronting Nigerian universities, including inadequate funding, reliance on the envelope system of budgeting, insufficient and underqualified academic staff, unreliable power supply, and issues of land encroachment.
The committee emphasized that compliance with these directives is essential for fostering accountability and improving the quality of education in the nation’s universities.
