Integrity boost for recruitment, appointment processes in HE

The Nigerian federal government has introduced several policy reforms in the higher education system aimed at strengthening the transparency, equity and integrity in the recruitment of staff and the appointment process of vice-chancellors of universities, rectors of polytechnics, and provosts of colleges of education.

All federal tertiary institutions which, in January 2025, had been granted waivers to recruit new staff, have to publicly advertise available vacancies in at least one national newspaper, on their respective institutional websites, and in relevant academic and professional journals, according to a directive of Dr Tunji Alausa, the minister of education in Nigeria, announced in a media statement earlier in April.

Previously, under the previous government, institutions were barred from recruiting staff members because of financial constraints and advertisements were not circulated widely.

Staffing crisis

Prior to the government granting institutions permission to fill vacancies, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has repeatedly raised the alarm that most academic departments in Nigeria’s public universities have been severely short-staffed due to the mass resignation of lecturers in search of greener pastures.

While the union blamed poor and delayed salaries, unpaid allowances, poor infrastructure, and a lack of respect for the academic community, the union also cited the federal government’s employment freeze as a reason why universities are unable to fill vacant jobs.

ASUU said 100 lecturers had left the service of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto; 1,000 lecturers were needed to fill the vacancies at the Federal University, Gusau; 350 vacancies were available at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, and 100 academic workers at the University of Uyo travelled out of the country in search of better jobs abroad.

A recent investigative news article published by DevReporting, a local online newspaper, revealed that about 1,800 of over 3,000 academic staff resigned from their appointments in the University of Lagos, Akoka, in the past five years to look for more favourable work environments.

Ambali Abdulkabeer, an academic and quality education advocate based in Nigeria, said: “It is praiseworthy that the current administration demonstrates some commitment to education reforms.”

He said there was an “acute shortage” of staff in the system and that tertiary institutions cannot live up to their responsibilities without adequate staffing. While Abdulkabeer advocated for a fair and transparent recruitment process, he noted that the development will allow more qualified Nigerians to gain employment.

He told University World News via WhatsApp that this, in turn, would positively impact on the quality of graduates leaving these institutions for the labour market.

Leadership appointments

In a further effort to promote the integrity in selection processes, Alausa has also approved a policy establishing eligibility criteria for the appointment of vice-chancellors, rectors and provosts in federal tertiary institutions.

In a statement, Boriowo Folashade, the ministry’s spokesperson, said the policy became necessary to counter a practice, which became a pattern, in which office bearers serving in acting capacities leveraged their positions to influence appointment outcomes, compromising the fairness and transparency of the selection process.

“The policy is necessary to eliminate this practice, ensure a level playing field for all qualified candidates, and strengthen institutional governance. The policy stipulates that any officer serving in an acting capacity as vice-chancellor, rector or provost shall not be eligible to apply for the substantive position while still holding the acting appointment,” the statement read.

While she emphasised that the policy was designed to complement the ministry’s existing 2013 guidelines for the appointment of vice-chancellors, rectors, and provosts, along with all other extant regulations, she also added that potential applicants may recuse themselves from their acting positions before the expiration of their non-renewable six-month tenure, thereby becoming eligible to apply for the substantive roles.

Abdulkabeer condemned how heads of tertiary institutions in the country are appointed through political interference and loyalty to politicians, while he preached that ending such a practice will advance transparency and the quality of candidates.

He further urged the minister to closely monitor the process and ensure the policies take force and remain effective.