Know Your Limits, NUC Tells Varsity Governing Councils
Kuni Tyessi
Governing councils of federal universities have been reminded to know their operational limits, and must not make laws that are in conflict with presidential orders, while also ensuring strict adherence to federal circulars as it is the basis of audit of universities’ accounts.
The charge was given by the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, in Abuja yesterday at a meeting with bursars of federal universities.
Speaking further, he said the commission has greater interest in the operations of the federal universities and inter university centres, especially in the areas of resource management and reporting.
According to the executive secretary, the NUC/federal universities bursars’ meeting is critical at a time when the present government is facing serious issues concerning revenue generation and management.
He also emphasised the need for bursars to adopt a common accounting and reporting platform that would address the benefit of the universities and the nation while emphasising that the synergy with the bursars would produce a robust outcome that would enhance resource management, promote transparency, accountability and efficiency in the operations of the Nigerian federal university system.
On the issue of furniture allowance, the executive secretary advised the bursars to be transparent and diligent in allocating the fund, and should not encourage the vice chancellor to take undue advantage of the system by receiving huge sums of money not allocated for.
He said: “Governing councils of universities are there to make university laws and regulations, and they need to know their limits in order to forestall conflicts with the management of the universities. They are not to make laws that are in conflict with presidential orders.
“NUC as the regulator, is meant to foster collaboration with the Nigerian university system in areas of implementing government accounting policies, application of extant federal circulars and also intervening in several challenges facing the Nigerian university system.
Similarly, Mallam Yahaya Nasiru, who represented the Association of Bursars of Nigerian Universities, charged the executive secretary to assist the Nigerian educational system by establishing a desk to collate circulars and also interpret data in each university.
He also urged his members to collaborate with NUC in improving the audit standard of the federal universities
According to him, “Bursars need to address the issue of accounting standard, rules and regulations in the university system. The profession is based on accountability and transparency, hence a high level of diligence should be practiced.”