File photo: Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.
The Federal Government has clarified that the recruitment waiver process for federal tertiary institutions remains in force, contrary to reports that President Bola Tinubu had removed the requirement.
The Federal Ministry of Education made the clarification in a Monday statement signed by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, following reports that federal universities had been exempted from obtaining recruitment waivers from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
The ministry said the reports might have arisen from the speech delivered by Tinubu’s representative at the maiden convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare, Bauchi State, on October 17, 2026.
“For clarity, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) approves establishment waivers for Federal Institutions, while recruitment waiver requests are considered and approved by a Committee chaired by the Honourable Minister of Education,” the statement read.
The ministry explained that the OHCSF retained responsibility for determining authorised staff establishments and assessing manpower requirements across federal institutions.
It added that the office was also represented on the waiver committee chaired by the Minister of Education.
The statement said the committee “evaluates the staffing needs of tertiary institutions against their approved establishments to determine the justification for additional recruitment.”
Reaffirming the continuation of the process, the ministry said, “The Ministry therefore emphasises that the existing recruitment waiver protocol, which has been in operation over the past few years to promote greater institutional efficiency and autonomy, remains in force.”
It added, “All requests must continue to comply strictly with the established approval process.”
The ministry also restated its commitment to accountability in the management of human resources across federal tertiary institutions.
“The Federal Ministry of Education remains committed to transparency, due process and accountability in the management of human resources across Federal Tertiary Institutions, in furtherance of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” the statement added.
Earlier reports had indicated that Tinubu had removed federal universities from the requirement to obtain recruitment waivers from the OHCSF in a policy shift aimed at easing staffing bottlenecks and strengthening institutional autonomy.
The reports followed the maiden convocation of FUHSA on Saturday, where 50 pioneer graduates received their degrees.
Tinubu, who is the visitor to all federal universities, was represented at the ceremony by the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Sonny Echono.