Brain drain: Reps seek mass recruitment of lecturers, varsity workers

The House of Representatives Committee on University Education has called on the Federal Government to embark on a mass recruitment of lecturers and other university workers, warning that the current workforce is overstretched and unable to meet the growing demands of the system. The committee’s chairman, Hon. Abubakar Hassan Fulata, made the call in a […]

The House of Representatives Committee on University Education has called on the Federal Government to embark on a mass recruitment of lecturers and other university workers, warning that the current workforce is overstretched and unable to meet the growing demands of the system.

The committee’s chairman, Hon. Abubakar Hassan Fulata, made the call in a statement on Thursday.

He also appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to suspend its planned strike, saying any disruption of the academic calendar would undermine ongoing efforts to improve the education sector.

Fulata said the mass exodus of academic staff from Nigerian universities was largely driven by poor remuneration, stressing the need for the government to urgently review and increase salaries and allowances across the sector.

“I call on Mr President to allow universities to embark on massive recruitment of workers to save our university system. Many have departed and the few available are overstretched.

“I also call on the government to increase the salary and allowances of university staff because poor remuneration is one of the reasons for the exodus of academics from these institutions,” he said.

The lawmaker further urged the government to stop what he described as undue interference by ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in the powers and functions of university governing councils.

He noted that such interventions disrupt the smooth running of universities and weaken institutional autonomy.

According to him, governing councils are empowered to hire or disengage staff, but these powers are frequently undermined by external interference.

Fulata also appealed to ASUU to reconsider its strike threat, warning that repeated industrial actions worsen existing challenges and destabilise the university system.

“I appeal to ASUU to give the government enough time to address these issues instead of frequent threats of strike action. Another strike will complicate the problems rather than solve them,” he cautioned.

The chairman disclosed that the committee had recently embarked on an on-the-spot assessment of universities across the country, giving members firsthand insight into the challenges confronting the institutions.