January 29, (THEWILL) – The House of Representatives Committee on University Education, has denied allegation it demanded a bribe of N50 million from each vice-chancellor of federal government-owned universities as a precondition for the passage of their 2025 budgets.
A report by Premium Times had alleged that the committee was compelling vice-chancellors of about 60 federal universities to pay N8 million each, totalling N480 million, before approving their 2025 budgetary allocations.
Speaking with newsmen on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Committee, Abubakar Fulata, described the report as not only a deliberate attempt to mislead Nigerians but also designed to undermine the effort of the committee to reposition the tertiary education system in the country.
Fulata, a lawmaker representing Birniwa/Guri/Kiri Federal Constituency of Jigawa State, charged media practitioners to always cross-check the information before going public.
Fulata noted that the House Committee on University Education had, in 2024, carried out oversight visits to all federal universities under his committee’s supervision, except for Federal University Gusau in Zamfara State, whose vice-chancellor allegedly stopped them from accessing the institution.
He also accused the Gusau University VC of failing to provide documents regarding the budget performance of previous years (2022 to 2024) and the 2025 budget proposal, which were aimed at getting a clearer picture of the progress and challenges of the universities.
According to him, the management of almost all the universities visited complained seriously about the hike in electricity tariffs.
“Some of the universities were paying about N100 million as electricity tariff every month, and we thought this cannot help our tertiary institutions. I moved a motion on this issue, and the House came up with the resolution urging a downward review of electricity tariffs or the removal of these institutions from the Band A group of electricity tariffs. Mr President again listened to our appeal and approved a 50 percent subsidy on electricity tariffs for universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and all tertiary institutions and hospitals.
“Similarly, if the Ministers of Education, the Executive Secretary of NUC, and other Parastatals under the Ministry, as well as over 50 universities, could come and defend their budget proposals before the committee, there is no reason why the vice-chancellors of the University of Lagos, Federal University Gusau, and Army University Bi’u should refuse to come and defend their budget proposals. Instead, they have resorted to blackmail, smear campaigns, and the sponsorship of public outcry against the committee.
“Interestingly, the University of Lagos and the University of Ibadan are part of the universities indicted by the Auditor-General of the Federation for financial malfeasance and refused to appear before the House Committee on Public Accounts to answer the audit queries.
“The committee has placed the matter before the leadership of the House, insisting that the House should not approve the budgets of all institutions whose chief executives refuse to come and defend their budgets”, Fulata said.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
