Nigeria’s university system is facing a serious manpower crisis as the House of Representatives Committee on University Education has raised alarm over the mass exodus of academic and non-teaching staff from universities without adequate replacements.

The Chairman of the Committee, Mr Abubakar Fulata, issued the warning on Thursday during an oversight visit to federal and state universities in the South-East, describing the trend as “abnormal and dangerous.”

Fulata revealed that at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, over 3,000 lecturers and non-academic staffvhave left the institution since 2019, through retirement or death, with approvals granted to recruit only 500 replacements.

“It is abnormal and dangerous for the university system to continue losing lecturers and non-academic staff through retirement or other causes without making provisions for replacements,” Fulata said.

He added that the imbalance undermines academic continuity and institutional capacity, and warned that the situation could further erode the quality of tertiary education in Nigeria.

The lawmaker urged the Federal Ministry of Education, university governing councils, and relevant agencies to act swiftly to close the manpower gap. He also emphasized the need for universities to comply with federal character principles in recruitment, ensuring fair representation of Nigeria’s diverse regions.

Experts say the sector’s brain drain continues to worsen as lecturers seek better opportunities abroad due to low pay, poor infrastructure, and inadequate research funding.

The Committee assured Nigerians that it would continue to engage with stakeholders to strengthen higher education and reverse the talent flight undermining the nation’s universities.

House Committee warns of crisis as thousands of Nigerian university staff exit without replacements, threatening education quality.