FG exempts federal universities from recruitment waiver rule

…President Tinubu says reform will give governing councils more power over hiring

The federal government has scrapped the requirement for federal universities to obtain recruitment waivers from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) before hiring staff, in a move it says will deepen institutional autonomy.

President Bola Tinubu announced the exemption on Saturday at the maiden convocation of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare (FUHSA), in Bauchi State.

President Tinubu, represented by Sonny Echono, the executive secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), said the exemption is contained in recent agreements the government signed with university staff unions.

“This measure empowers the federal ministry of education and university Governing Councils to discharge their respective responsibilities in staff recruitment, enabling institutions to respond more effectively to their legitimate manpower needs,” he said.

The president said his administration is also migrating tertiary institution staff from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).

According to him, the shift is meant to improve payroll efficiency, strengthen transparency and accountability, ensure timely and accurate salary payments, and accommodate the operational peculiarities of tertiary institutions.

Read also: Abduction: Subdued anguish in North East as relations wait endlessly for victims’ safe return

“This measure is part of our broader commitment to strengthening institutional autonomy, improving personnel and payroll management, and creating an enabling environment for effective teaching, research, innovation and service delivery,” he said.

President Tinubu reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening tertiary education through infrastructure development, research funding, and better welfare for university personnel.

He disclosed that the federal government provided FUHSA with an initial N8 billion intervention through TETFund. He said the university was established after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed critical gaps in Nigeria’s healthcare system.

More investments will flow to the university through TETFund’s regular and special interventions, as well as 2026 budget provisions for roads, lecture halls, laboratories and utility vehicles, he said.

The president added that the government has earmarked N10 billion for the national research fund in 2026. He urged universities, especially specialised institutions like FUHSA, to pursue research that can address the country’s pressing health challenges.

FUHSA was established in 2021 under the late former President Muhammadu Buhari. About 50 students graduated at Saturday’s convocation.

A recruitment waiver is an approval a federal government institution may be required to obtain from the OHCSF before hiring new employees. For federal universities, this requirement could slow filling vacancies, replacing retiring staff, and recruiting additional academic and non-academic personnel.