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Tag: Abubakar Hassan Fulata

  • Alleged inducement of House panel to pass varsity budget false, says chairman

    Alleged inducement of House panel to pass varsity budget false, says chairman

    The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on University Education, Abubakar Hassan Fulata (APC, Jigawa), has said the allegations that its members asked for a bribe to pass the budget federal universities was untrue.

    He said those who made the allegation wanted to undermine the efforts of the lawmakers to improve the standard of education in the country.

    An online newspaper had reported that the National Assembly joint Committee on Education was asking for financial inducement from vice chancellors of federal universities to pass their 2025 budget.

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    Fulata said he decided to respond to the allegations to avoid misleading the public about the activities of the committee and the 10th House of Representatives.

    The committee chairman explained that due to the advocacy of the legislators against inclusion of tertiary institutions of learning in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), President Bola Ahmed Tinubu agreed to remove universities and other tertiary institutions from the payment platform because the IPPIS is “anti-intellectual, anti-academics and retrogressive”.

    According to him, as a result of the absence of councils for universities and other tertiary institutions nearly a year after the inauguration of the present government, the House of Representatives considered and adopted a motion for Mr. President to constitute the councils, which was done almost immediately by the President.

  • ‘Alleged inducement to pass universities budget false’

    ‘Alleged inducement to pass universities budget false’

    The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on University Education, Abubakar Hassan Fulata (APC, Jigawa) has said that allegations of demand of inducement to pass the budget federal universities was designed to undermine the efforts of the lawmakers to improve the standard of education in the country.

    Fulata dismissed the allegations

    An online newspaper had reported that the National Assembly joint Committee on Education was demanding money from Vice Chancellors of Federal University to pass their 2025 budget.

    Reacting to the allegations, Fulata said due to the advocacy of the legislators against inclusion of tertiary institutions of learning in the  Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), President Bola Tinubu agreed to removed universities and other tertiary institutions from IPPIS because the IPPIS is  “anti-intellectual, anti-academics and retrogressive.”

    According to him, as a result of the absence of councils for universities and other tertiary institutions nearly a year after the inauguration of the current government, the House of Representatives considered and adopted a motion urging Mr President to constitute the councils which was done almost immediately by the President.

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    He explained that the House Committee on University Education had in 2024 carried out oversight visit to all  federal universities under his committee’s supervision except Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State whose vice chancellor did not only block the legislators from  accessing the school but also failed to provide documents regarding budget performance of previous years (2022 to 2024) and 2025 budget proposal. He said the oversight visit was aimed at getting clearer pictures of the progress and challenges of the universities. 

    According, to him, the management of almost all the universities visited complained seriously against the hike in electricity tariff.

    “Some of the universities were  paying  about N100 million as electricity tariff every month and we thought this cannot help our tertiary institutions. I moved a motion on this issue  and the House came up with the resolution urging for downward review of electricity tariff or removal of these institutions from Band A group of electricity tariff. 

    “Mr President again listened to our appeal and approved 50 percent subsidy on electricity tariff for universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and all tertiary institutions and hospitals,” Fulata said.

    He said the committee’s budget defence meeting for National Universities Commission and vice chancellors of universities took place on January 15th, 2025, immediately after the Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration. 

    He said the budget defence which took place at the House temporary chamber was open to the general public and media as there was no executive session or closed-door meeting.