FG Denies Halting Recruitment Approvals for Federal Tertiary Institutions

The Federal Ministry of Education has issued a clarification stating that the recruitment waiver process for Federal Tertiary Institutions has not been abolished, refuting reports suggesting a policy shift.

The Ministry addressed erroneous impressions following a speech delivered by the representative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, at the maiden convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare, on October 17, 2026.

Clarifying the two-step procedure, the Ministry noted that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) remains responsible for approving establishment waivers, setting authorized staff limits, and assessing manpower needs. Meanwhile, recruitment waiver requests are considered and approved by a separate committee chaired by the Minister of Education, on which the OHCSF is also represented.

The government emphasized that the existing recruitment waiver protocol, designed to promote efficiency and institutional autonomy over recent years, remains fully in force, and all federal tertiary institutions must comply strictly with established approval steps before conducting new recruitments.