The chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on University Education, Abubakar Hassan Fulata, has dismissed allegations by an online medium that lawmakers demanded a certain amount of money as a condition for passing the 2025 budget for the education sector.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Fulata, who also serves as the lead chairman of the House Committees on Education, said the allegation was designed to undermine the efforts of lawmakers, particularly his committee, to improve the standard of education in the country.
In an interview with journalists on Tuesday, Fulata stated that, ordinarily, he would not have responded to Premium Times’ allegations but decided to speak out to avoid misleading the general public about the committee’s activities and the 10th House of Representatives.
Fulata explained that due to the legislators’ advocacy against including tertiary institutions in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS, President Bola Tinubu had graciously removed universities and other tertiary institutions from IPPIS
According to him, IPPIS is “anti-intellectual, anti-academic, and retrogressive.”
He further noted that nearly a year after the current government was inaugurated, many universities and tertiary institutions lacked governing councils. The House of Representatives, recognising the impact of this, adopted his motion urging the President to constitute the councils. Shortly after the resolution, the councils were established.
Fulata highlighted that the House Committee on University Education carried out oversight visits in 2024 to all federal universities under its supervision, except Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State. He said the Vice-Chancellor of the university not only blocked legislators from accessing the school but also failed to provide documents regarding the budget performance for 2022 to 2024 and the 2025 budget proposal. These oversight visits were aimed at gaining a clearer understanding of the progress and challenges faced by the universities.
According to him, almost all the universities visited complained about the hike in electricity tariffs.
“Some universities were paying about N100 million monthly for electricity, and we felt this was unsustainable for our tertiary institutions. I moved a motion on the issue, and the House resolved to call for a downward review of electricity tariffs or the removal of these institutions from the Band A tariff group. Mr President, again, listened to our appeal and approved a 50 per cent subsidy on electricity tariffs for universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, other tertiary institutions, and hospitals,” Fulata said.
He appealed to media practitioners to verify information before publishing.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Regarding Premium Times’ allegation that a meeting “initially scheduled for 10 a.m. that day was delayed until 3 p.m. due to behind-the-scenes discussions between lawmakers and some vice-chancellors,” Fulata clarified that the budget defence meeting for the National Universities Commission and university vice-chancellors took place on January 15, 2025, Armed Forces Remembrance Day, not on the date or time stated by the medium.
He explained that the meeting, held at the House’s temporary chamber, was open to the public and media. No executive or closed-door sessions were held, and proceedings concluded before the House Committee on Water Resources began its budget defence meeting at 2 pm in the same venue.
Fulata, who served as chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business in the 9th National Assembly, dismissed allegations that he demanded any money as a condition for approving the budget proposal.
“If Mr President, despite his tight schedule, can appear before a joint session of the National Assembly to present the Appropriation Bill, there is no reason why heads of MDAs should find it difficult to defend their budget proposals,” he said.
“Similarly, if the Ministers of Education, the Executive Secretary of the NUC, and over 50 universities could defend their budget proposals before the committee, there is no justification for the Vice-Chancellors of the University of Lagos, Federal University Gusau, and Army University Bi’u to refuse to do so. Instead, they have resorted to blackmail, smear campaigns, and sponsoring public outcries against the committee.”
He added that University of Lagos and University of Ibadan were among institutions indicted by the Auditor-General of the Federation for financial malfeasance and had refused to appear before the House Committee on Public Accounts to address audit queries. The committee, he said, has urged the House leadership not to approve budgets for institutions whose chief executives fail to defend their proposals.
Fulata reiterated that the House Committee on University Education, other education committees, and the entire House of Representatives, under the leadership of Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, are committed to ensuring uninterrupted academic activities in tertiary institutions and improving the standard of education in Nigeria.
