Jumoke Olasunkanmi
The National Assembly on Wednesday pledged to curb the persistent disruptions in academic activities, as well as resolve other issues facing tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
The joint Education Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives made this promise during a budget defense session on Wednesday, where Vice Chancellors of federal universities and the Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Chris Maiyaki, presented their budget for the year 2024.
Both committees co-chaired by Senator Dandutse Muntari and Hon. Abubakar Fulata, pledged to address concerns related to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPS) and recruitment challenges faced by universities.
Muntari, while stressing the importance of education in national development, affirmed the committee’s commitment to addressing the universities’ challenges. He stated that the committee is determined to explore viable solutions to these challenges, leveraging Nigeria’s abundant raw material resources, for the advancement of education.
Hon. Fulata echoed this sentiment, expressing the lawmakers’ determination to enhance the global standing of Nigerian universities.
Acknowledging complaints about the complexity and demoralising nature of the IPPIS and recruitment processes, Fulata assured that the committee would scrutinise all issues thoroughly to chart a way forward.
On his part, NUC boss, outlined inadequate funding, the inability to generate resources independently, and challenges posed by the IPPIS as major hurdles facing the universities.
Despite these challenges, Maiyaki expressed optimism that with the support of the National Assembly, solutions could be found for them.
Also, Speaking on behalf of the Vice Chancellors, Prof. Sagir Abbas of Bayero University, Kano, commended the lawmakers for their dedication to addressing the systemic challenges in the Nigerian university education system and bemoaned the bureaucratic hurdles in the recruitment process requiring approval for basic tasks from multiple agencies.
He also drew attention to the financial strain caused by unreliable power supply, revealing that universities collectively spent over N50 million monthly due to a lack of adequate electricity.
