By Olamide Famuwagun
Workers at the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, have lamented the non-implementation of the institute’s 2021 promotion exercise.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the exercise was conducted in July 2021 by the former governing board of the institute, which was dissolved by the ex-Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu. But the new board, installed in October 2021, refused to implement the promotion.
Our correspondent gathered that the promotion exercise was cancelled by the current board, led by Alhaji Magaji Gambo, to protect the position of an official, Chima Igwe, who was demoted.
Igwe, who presented a phoney PhD certificate and got undeserved promotions and salaries for 18 years, was demoted by the former board after the fraud became public knowledge. However, the board’s decisions did not go down well with Onu, who favoured Igwe to head the organisation. Onu later dissolved the board and installed the Gambo-led board.
The President, Muhammadu Buhari , had ordered The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission to prosecute Igwe over the matter. Igwe is facing trial before the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja, for giving false information to his employers.
The Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Universities Teaching Hospitals Research Institutes and Associated Institutions, Togunde Oyekola, stated that the position of Igwe was declared vacant after his demotion to Chief Research Officer.
He said, “The 2021 promotion was conducted by the former board after two postponements. Representatives of the Head of Service, Federal Character Commission, among others, were present. The results were approved and letters were issued to all successful staff.
“Unfortunately, this board was inaugurated in October by Ogbonnaya Onu under suspicious interest and in January 2022 when everybody expected the implementation of the promotion, the board released a memo for its suspension. Meanwhile, the implementation had been captured in the personnel budget for 2022.
“The reason for the non-implementation is that Igwe’s position was declared vacant since he was demoted to Chief Research Officer, and the promotion was conducted to fill the position. Ogbonnaya and this present board have refused to allow for the implementation.
“If the promotion is not implemented by November or December, the money budgeted for its implementation will likely be returned and staff will be made to have arrears of two years and this is a bad precedent in the history of FIIRO.”
The Chairperson of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Education Institutions, Florence Ogunleye, said the current board was creating problems for the institute.
She said, “They keep violating the directive of the President and disregarding the fact that Igwe is still on trial. Thankfully, the current DG helped to get our promotion salary for 2018.”
A source in the institute stated that Igwe was attending management meetings as a director, adding that the governing board was trying to create division among union members.
He said, “What is going on in FIIRO is horrible. The former minister has sat on the promotion because once they implement it, payment will start. The board is also trying to interfere in union matters so they can create divisions among us.”
Our correspondent obtained a hand-written letter dated October 28 and purportedly written by Igwe in which he stated that he would be going on leave and handing over his duties as Director, Chemical, Fibre and Environmental Department.
Aside the promotion contention, our correspondent learnt that the Lagos-based institute had been in darkness for the past one month.
Workers alleged that the situation was due to the absence of the Director-General, Jummai Tutuwa, who had been working from Abuja.
The National Council of the Senior Staff Association of Universities’ Teaching Hospitals Research Institutes and Associated Institutions, in a letter to the new Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Senator Adeleke Mamora, demanded that the director-general be mandated to report to Lagos and carry out her duties.
The letter, dated September 28, 2022, was signed by the union’s General Secretary, E.O. Popoola. “A stop should be put to an absentee chief executive officer,” the letter said.
When contacted, the institute’s director-general, Tutuwa, did not respond to our correspondent’s questions. The FIIRO board chairman, Gambo, could not be reached on his telephone. A text message sent to his line was not replied two days after.
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Mamora, said he would continue to monitor happenings in the institute. He said, “We allow the board to do their job. Our job as the ministry is to carry out oversight, but we have a duty to intervene when the need arises. They have a director-general, who is supposed to handle matters like this. The DG is answerable to us directly; we must hear from the DG before making any decisions. We’ll keep tabs on the development within the institute.” (Punch)