Reps C’ttee laments mass exits of lecturers from Nigerian varsities

The House of Representatives Committee on Nigerian University Education has issued a stark warning over a crisis-level exodus of staff from the nation’s higher institutions, calling it a severe threat to the stability and quality of education in Nigeria.

The committee’s chairman, Abubakar Fulata, expressed deep concern during an oversight visit to universities in the South-East, highlighting a severe imbalance between staff departures and new recruitment.

Citing the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) as a critical example, Fulata revealed that the institution has lost over 3,000 teaching and non-teaching staff since 2019 due to retirement and death. Despite this massive depletion, approval was granted to recruit only 500 replacements.

“It is abnormal and dangerous for the university system to continue losing lecturers and non-academic staff without making provisions for replacements,” Fulata stated. “This imbalance undermines academic continuity and institutional capacity.”

The lawmaker urgently called on the Ministry of Education, university governing councils, and relevant agencies to address the widening manpower gap. He also directed universities to ensure full compliance with federal character principles in their appointments, noting a widespread failure to reflect national diversity in staffing.

This crisis is fueled by long-standing structural challenges, including poor funding, inadequate infrastructure, and low staff morale. The situation has been exacerbated by a wave of academic migration, often termed “brain drain,” as lecturers seek better opportunities abroad or in other sectors due to poor working conditions, low remuneration, and limited research support.

The sector has also been plagued by industrial unrest. During the previous administration, public universities were shut down for nearly a full academic year due to strikes, and the current government under President Bola Tinubu faces similar threats from university unions.