News Investigators/ The House of Representatives Committee on University Education has summoned the Vice-Chancellor, Federal University, Gusau, Prof. Muazu Gusau, over alleged poor budget implementation.
Chairman of the committee, Rep. Abubakar Fulata, said this following his committee’s oversight visit to National Universities Commission (NUC) in Abuja on Tuesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the budget performances being assessed covered 2022, 2023 and 2024 financial years.
Fulata said that his committee had visited all the federal universities that were under its jurisdiction except Federal University, Gusau.
He said that the oversight visit was not aimed at witch-hunting anybody but in line with the constitutional provisions.
The lawmaker said that the committee had resolved to make meaningful contributions toward improving the standard of education in Nigeria.
He said that the vice-chancellor did not only halt the committee’s oversight visit to the school but also refused to provide details regarding implementation of the 2022, 2023 and 2024 budgets to it.
Fulata said that his committee was not out to create problems but always in search of solutions to problems.
He, however, said that it was improper for the committee to approve 2025 budget for an institution which had failed to provide budget performances for over three years.
MAN reports that the committee also tasked the management of NUC on improving the standard of education in Nigerian universities.
The acting Executive Secretary of NUC, Mr Chris Maiyaki, commended the Fulata-led committee and its efforts in recent times.
Maiyaki promised to promote quality standard in all the federal, state and private universities in the country.
Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of National Mathematical Centre, Abuja,Prof. Promise Mebine, has sought the intervention of the legislators on improving the centre which was established over thirty years ago.
Mebine said one of the challenges being faced by the institution was that it was not among the institutions receiving assistance and grants from Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
Apart from exclusion of NMC from TETFUND intervention programmes, other challenges of the institution, according to Mebine, include low budgetary allocation, insufficient utility vehicles and lack of perimeter fence.
Similarly, the National Librarian and Chief Executive Officer of Nation Library of Nigeria, Prof. Chinwe Anunobi, also sought the committee’s assistance on the completion of the organisation’s national headquarters building and intellectual resources across the country.
Anunobi also sought committee’s assistance on repeal of the law that established the library which, she said, emanated from Decree No. 29 of 1970,.
According to her, the law is inhibiting modern library services.
NAN
