…Orders VCs to Justify New Courses With Job-Market Demand
By Joseph Erunke, Abuja
The Federal Government has tightened recruitment controls in federal universities, directing vice-chancellors to justify manpower requests based on staffing needs, labour-market demand and national human capital development priorities.
The directive, issued by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, comes amid concerns over rising manpower requests by tertiary institutions and the financial burden such demands place on the Federal Government’s personnel budget.
Under the new guidelines, federal universities are to prioritise filling vacancies arising from staff attrition, while requests for additional recruitment to support new courses, programmes or institutional expansion will face stricter scrutiny.
In a letter dated October 19, 2026, addressed to vice-chancellors of all federal universities, Alausa expressed concern that many institutions submitted manpower requests without adequately considering the financial implications for the Federal Government.
He said the existing arrangement had disconnected universities’ manpower demands from the additional personnel costs, which are borne entirely by the Federal Government.
The minister also faulted requests for additional staff to support courses that do not adequately respond to Nigeria’s labour-market needs.
According to him, some requests are not aligned with national human capital development priorities or existing skills gaps in the labour market.
To address the concerns, Alausa directed vice-chancellors to ensure that all manpower requests undergo strict vetting under two categories: vacancies arising from staff attrition and requests for additional recruitment.
Under the first category, institutions are expected to seek approval to fill vacancies resulting from retirement, resignation, death, dismissal or transfer of existing personnel.
However, requests for recruitment beyond replacing departing staff must meet additional requirements.
The minister said universities seeking additional personnel for new courses, programmes or expansion must provide clear evidence of market demand, graduate employability and the programmes’ relevance to Nigeria’s human capital development.
They must also demonstrate that proposed courses are unique and do not duplicate programmes already offered by other institutions.
The directive places greater emphasis on justifying additional staffing, particularly where universities seek to recruit personnel for academic programmes whose relevance to national development or employment opportunities may be questioned.
Alausa said the measures were necessary to promote prudence, efficiency and strategic manpower planning across the education sector, urging vice-chancellors to comply fully with the new requirements.
Copies of the directive were sent 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, Director-General of the Budget Office and Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, among other officials.
The directive brings university manpower planning into a broader framework of public expenditure control and national workforce priorities, with the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission among the institutions expected to support its implementation.
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