The House of Representatives Committee on University Education has expressed concern over dilapidated infrastructure and land encroachment across universities in the South-East.

The committee chairman, Rep Abubakar Fulata, expressed the concern in a statement on Saturday in Abuja following an oversight visit to federal universities in the South-East region.

Mr Fulata appealed to universities to make concerted efforts toward renovating and maintaining the structures on ground instead of building new ones.

He said most of the universities his committee visited did not comply with the federal character principles.

According to him, this is considered a gross violation of the constitution.

“The fact that a university is located in a certain location in the state does not mean certain ethnic groups or people from that location should dominate it,” he said.

Mr Fulata frowned at the inconsistencies and discrepancies observed in the documents submitted by some of the universities.

He also queried the non-compliance to the principles of federal character principles noticed in their staff’s nominal roll.

The chairman, therefore, tasked the management of the universities to make the necessary amendments.

Some universities visited by the committee included the University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, and Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo.

Others are the Federal University of Allied Health Science and Umahi Federal University of Health Science Uburu, Ebonyi State.

(NAN)