The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has directed vice chancellors of federal universities to justify manpower requests with evidence of labour market demand, graduate employability and alignment with Nigeria’s human capital development priorities.

In a directive dated October 19, 2026, with reference number FME/HME/27/TED/Vol.IV/104 and seen by The Guardian, Alausa expressed concern over the rising volume of manpower requests from tertiary institutions, warning that many fail to consider the financial implications for the Federal Government.

The directive, addressed to vice chancellors of all federal universities, requires institutions to subject all manpower requests to stricter scrutiny, with recruitment primarily targeted at filling vacancies created by staff attrition or meeting additional staffing needs supported by demonstrable evidence.

The minister identified retirement, resignation, death, dismissal and transfer as circumstances that could justify recruitment to fill existing vacancies.

For requests beyond attrition, including recruitment for new courses, programmes or institutional expansion, universities must provide clear evidence of market demand, graduate employability and the programmes’ relevance to Nigeria’s human capital development.

They must also demonstrate that proposed courses are unique and do not duplicate programmes already offered by other institutions.

Dr Alausa said the existing process for manpower requests was disconnected from the additional personnel costs they impose on the Federal Government, which he said bears the entire financial burden.

“The current process of manpower requests by Tertiary institutions is completely ‘decoupled’ from the additional personnel cost implications of these requests, which is 100% being borne by the Federal Government of Nigeria,” he stated.

He also expressed concern that some requests for additional personnel were intended to support courses without significant labour market demand in the country.

“We have seen a clear pattern of institutional manpower requests that do not reflect actual alignment with national human capital development priorities and Labor gaps need,” the minister said.

To address the concerns, the Minister directed universities to ensure that all recruitment requests are assessed against clearly defined criteria.

“In view of the need to ensure prudence, efficiency and strategic manpower planning in the education sector, I hereby direct that henceforth, all manpower requests from your Institution are vetted strictly on the basis of” filling vacancies created through staff attrition or demonstrating the need for additional recruitment, he said.

Under the new directive, requests for additional recruitment must be supported by evidence that the proposed programmes respond to actual labour market needs and would improve Nigeria’s human capital development.

Institutions must also establish that the courses are not duplications of programmes already available elsewhere in the university system.

The minister urged the institutions to comply fully with the directive, which was copied to the Minister of Finance, Minister of State for Education, Accountant-General of the Federation, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education and Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission.

Others copied include the Director-General of the Budget Office, Chairman of the Federal Character Commission and Director of Human Resource Management at the Federal Ministry of Education.

The Guardian reports that the directive signals a push for tighter control of recruitment-related expenditure in federal universities, with staffing decisions expected to reflect institutional needs, labour market realities and the Federal Government’s financial obligations.