FG tightens recruitment rules for federal varsities over rising personnel costs

The Federal Government has directed vice-chancellors of federal universities to subject manpower requests to stricter scrutiny amid concerns over rising personnel costs and the growing financial burden on the national budget.

Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Olatunji Alausa, gave the directive in a memo dated October 19, 2026, addressed to vice-chancellors of all federal universities, sighted by Nigerian Tribune on Monday in Abuja.

The memo was copied to the Minister of Finance, Minister of State for Education, Accountant-General of the Federation, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission and Director-General of the Budget Office, among other relevant officials.

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Alausa urged the Vice-Chancellors to ensure full compliance with the directive, warning that institutions’ manpower requests often fail to account for their financial implications for the Federal Government.

He observed that the existing process for requesting additional personnel in tertiary institutions was disconnected from the cost implications, which are borne entirely by the Federal Government.

He expressed concern that the trend had resulted in significant manpower requests without adequate consideration of their impact on the government’s personnel budget.

The minister also raised concerns over requests to recruit staff for academic programmes that do not correspond with significant labour market demand or align with Nigeria’s human capital development priorities.

According to him, the government has observed a pattern of manpower requests that do not adequately reflect national workforce needs and existing labour market gaps.

To address the situation, Alausa directed vice-chancellors to ensure that all manpower requests from their institutions are strictly vetted and justified before being forwarded for consideration.

Under the new directive, requests for recruitment must fall into two categories: vacancies arising from staff attrition and additional manpower requirements.

The attrition category covers vacancies created by the retirement, resignation, death, dismissal or transfer of existing staff.

For recruitment requests outside this category, including those arising from the introduction of new courses, programmes or institutional expansion, the minister said universities must provide clear evidence of labour market demand, graduate employability and the programmes’ relevance to Nigeria’s human capital development.

Institutions must also demonstrate that proposed courses or programmes are unique and do not duplicate those already offered by other institutions.

The directive is expected to strengthen manpower planning in federal universities, ensuring that recruitment decisions are guided by actual staffing needs, financial sustainability and national development priorities.

Alausa said the measures were necessary to promote prudence, efficiency and strategic manpower planning across the education sector.

The memo read in part: “I write to convey my concern over the rising trend of significant manpower requests from Tertiary Institutions under your supervision. Many of these requests do not take into account the financial burden that is being put on the Federal Government personnel budget.

“The current process of manpower requests by Tertiary institutions is completely “decoupled” from the additional personnel cost implications of these requests, which are 100% being borne by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“And several of these requests for new manpower are to fund courses that have no significant Labour demands in our Country. We have seen a clear pattern of institutional manpower requests that do not reflect actual alignment with national human capital development priorities and Labor gaps.

“In view of the need to ensure prudence, efficiency and strategic manpower planning in the education sector, I hereby direct that you ensure that henceforth, all manpower requests from your Institution are vetted strictly based on:

“Need to fill gaps created through Staff Attrition: This shall cover vacancies arising from retirement, resignation, death, dismissal or transfer.

“Need for Additional Recruitment: Any request outside attrition (such as for new courses, programmes or expansion) must be for courses with: clear evidence of market demand, employability of graduates and relevance of such courses to the improvement of human capital development of Nigeria;

“Proof that such courses/programmes are unique and not a duplication of already existing programmes in other institutions,” it stated.