Professor Muazu Abubakar, the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Gusau, has refuted claims that members of the House of Representatives Committee on University Education demanded a total of N480 million in exchange for approving the 2025 budgets of federal universities.
In a letter dated January 27 and addressed to the committee’s chairman, Abubakar Fulata, the VC dismissed media reports alleging that lawmakers had pressured university heads to pay N8 million each as a prerequisite for budget approval.
He noted that the report mentioned a “stubborn vice-chancellor,” which many assumed referred to him. Initially, he said he planned to ignore the claims but later chose to respond to prevent the spread of misinformation.
“The attention of the Federal University, Gusau, has been drawn to a trending online report titled Investigation: Nigerian Lawmakers Demand N480 million from Universities to Approve 2025 Budget,” Abubakar wrote.
He further stated that no one from his university’s team at the budget defence session was involved in the allegations reported by the media. He urged the committee chairman and his colleagues to disregard the claims, describing them as misleading and intended to damage the credibility of both the university and the lawmakers.
Abubakar also noted that the budget defence session was “robust, friendly, and engaging,” while expressing gratitude for the committee’s support.
Similarly, Fulata had earlier denied the allegations during a press briefing, calling the claims an attempt to tarnish the committee’s work in improving Nigeria’s education system.
“It is absurd for anyone to suggest that lawmakers demanded even a ‘kobo’ as a precondition for approving budget proposals,” he said. He also noted that the report aimed to misinform the public about the activities of the committee and the entire 10th House of Representatives.
The House of Representatives spokesman, Akin Rotimi, also addressed the issue in a statement, dismissing the media report (not published by The PUNCH) as a deliberate effort to damage lawmakers’ reputations.
Rotimi stated, “The 10th House of Representatives is firmly committed to transparency, accountability, and the highest ethical standards in all its legislative activities. These values form the bedrock of our operations. It is, therefore, imperative to address the baseless and sensational allegations in the report, which appear to be part of a deliberate attempt to undermine the integrity of the House and erode public trust in this hallowed institution.”
He further noted that the report lacked thorough investigative work and instead promoted a false narrative by individuals seeking to avoid accountability.
