The committee also directed the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, to submit details of the institution’s 2024, 2025 and 2026 budgets and appear before it next week over an alleged N7.1bn discrepancy in its financial records.
The committee’s Chairman, Abubakar Fulata, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday following an oversight visit to universities and inter-university centres across the South-West geopolitical zone.
Fulata said the exercise revealed financial inconsistencies, inadequate transparency and possible violations of budgetary provisions in some institutions. He warned that such practices could further undermine the challenges facing Nigeria’s university system.
The lawmaker questioned discrepancies between internally generated revenue and expenditure figures submitted by some universities, demanding explanations for the differences.
“In some cases, the documents submitted contradict each other. You claimed to have generated N9bn and spent N10bn. Where did you get the N1bn from?
“In another instance, you will see N12bn generated as income and only N8bn spent, without any information regarding the whereabouts of the balance of N4bn,” he said.
The committee chairman urged vice-chancellors and their management teams to embrace transparency and accountability, stressing that public universities must properly account for government allocations and internally generated revenue.
He said prudent financial management was essential to improving the quality of university education and ensuring that public funds were spent strictly for approved purposes.
Fulata acknowledged the political engagements and demands facing members of the National Assembly ahead of the 2027 general elections but insisted that electoral activities would not distract lawmakers from their constitutional oversight responsibilities.
He maintained that no sector of the economy should be neglected because of political activities.
The committee also called on university authorities to comply with the federal character principle in staff recruitment and student admissions to promote fairness and equitable representation.
In addition to UNILAG, the committee directed the managements of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State; Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State; Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State; and Federal University of Health Sciences, Ila-Orangun, Osun State, to update their financial records and submit comprehensive reports on their budget implementation for 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Ogunsola was reportedly unavailable during the committee’s visit to UNILAG. Officials who represented her were unable to provide satisfactory explanations for the alleged N7.1bn discrepancy in the university’s 2024 and 2025 financial records or supply some of the additional information requested by the lawmakers.
Other institutions visited during the oversight exercise included the University of Ibadan, Oyo State; Adeyemi Federal University of Education, Ondo State; Federal University of Agriculture and Development Studies, Iragbiji, Osun State; Federal University of Technology and Environmental Studies, Iyin-Ekiti, Ekiti State; and the Nigeria French Language Village, Badagry, Lagos State.
The committee said the exercise formed part of the National Assembly’s constitutional responsibility to scrutinise public expenditure, monitor budget implementation and ensure that government institutions utilise public funds for their intended purposes.
It added that the oversight visits were designed to strengthen financial accountability in the university system and address administrative and financial shortcomings affecting the delivery of quality tertiary education.
