Federal universities have been instructed by the government to provide justifications for hiring additional personnel, with a strict warning that any recruitment must match actual national workforce requirements and account for government financial constraints.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, gave the directive in a letter dated October 19, 2026, addressed to vice-chancellors of all federal universities.
In the letter titled Directive On Vetting Of Manpower Requests From Tertiary Institutions, Alausa expressed concern over the rising number of manpower requests from tertiary institutions, saying many failed to account for the financial burden on the Federal Government.
“The current process of manpower requests by Tertiary institutions is completely “decoupled” from the additional personnel cost implications of these requests which is 100% being borne by the Federal Government of Nigeria,” he said.
The minister also raised concerns about requests to recruit staff for courses he said had limited labour market demand.
“And several of these requests for new manpower are to fund courses that have no significant Labour demands in our Country,” the letter stated.
Alausa said universities had repeatedly submitted recruitment requests that did not align with Nigeria’s human capital development priorities or existing labour gaps.
He directed the institutions to ensure that all future manpower requests were assessed against specific criteria, including vacancies created by staff attrition and the need for additional recruitment.
Requests to fill vacancies arising from retirement, resignation, death, dismissal or transfer would be considered under staff attrition.
However, requests for additional recruitment linked to new courses, programmes or institutional expansion must be supported by evidence of market demand, graduate employability and the relevance of the programmes to Nigeria’s human capital development.
Universities must also demonstrate that proposed courses or programmes are unique and do not duplicate those already offered by other institutions.
The directive is intended to promote prudent spending, efficient workforce planning and better alignment between university recruitment and the country’s economic needs.
Alausa urged the vice-chancellors to ensure full compliance with the new requirements.
What You Should Know
The Federal Government is tightening financial oversight on federal universities by demanding strict proof of labour market necessity before approving new staff recruitment.
- Positive Impact: This policy helps curb wasteful government spending on redundant programs, ensuring public funds are directed toward critical national development sectors.
- Potential Concerns: Universities might struggle with administrative bottlenecks or face restrictions when trying to expand academic departments that cater to emerging niche industries.
