Tinubu scraps recruitment waiver requirement for federal universities

President Bola Tinubu has exempted federal universities from the requirement to obtain recruitment waivers from the office of the head of the civil service of the federation (OHCSF).  

Speaking at the maiden convocation of Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare (FUHSA), Bauchi state, on Saturday, Tinubu said the exemption was documented in the recent agreements signed with university staff unions.

Represented by Sonny Echono, executive secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the president said the reform would empower the federal ministry of education and university governing councils to make recruitment decisions.

“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.

Tinubu said his administration is also working to improve personnel and payroll administration across tertiary institutions by migrating their staff from the integrated personnel and payroll information system (IPPIS) to the government integrated financial management information system (GIFMIS).

The president said the move is aimed at enhancing payroll efficiency, improving transparency and accountability, ensuring timely and accurate salary payments, and accommodating the operational peculiarities of tertiary institutions”.

“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.

The president reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening tertiary education through infrastructure development, research funding and improved welfare for university personnel.

He said the federal government has provided FUHSA with an initial N8 billion intervention through TETFund to support its establishment, following the COVID-19 pandemic’s exposure of critical gaps in Nigeria’s healthcare system.

He said further investments would be channelled into the university through TETFund’s regular and special interventions, as well as provisions in the 2026 national budget for roads, lecture halls, laboratories and utility vehicles.

Tinubu added that the government had also provided N10 billion for the national research fund in 2026, urging universities, particularly specialised institutions such as FUHSA, to pursue research capable of addressing the country’s pressing health challenges.

FUHSA was established in 2021 during the second term administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.

About 50 students graduated from the university during the maiden convocation programme on Saturday.

The recruitment waiver is an approval that a federal government institution may be required to obtain from the OHCSF before hiring new employees.

For federal universities, the requirement can affect how quickly they fill vacant positions, replace retiring staff and recruit additional academic and non-academic personnel. (TheCable)