The union is demanding an end to the alleged victimisation of the leaders of ASURI at the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, CRIN Ibadan.

In a letter it sent to the Honourable Minister of labour notifying the ministry of its intention to resume the strike, the union said, “The Academic Staff Union of Research Institutes suspended the previously declared nationwide strike on the prompting of the Honourable Minister of labour following the establishment of a committee to verify claims preferred by Professor Gabriel Iremiren the Executive director of Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (EDCRIN) for planning to skew public service reforms to maliciously exit the secretary General of ASURI from service at CRIN.”

The union claimed further that, “the EDCRIN is impervious, inflexible and unyielding to statutes and laws governing the public service. He has used the period of the sitting of the committee to launch an unprecedented on-slaught on members of the union and even non-members who he perceives to have sympathy for the union.”

ASURI alleged that Dr Rasheed Hamzat, the branch chairman of ASURI at CRIN “ is being denied the opportunity of a fully sponsored fellowship by an American university to carry out research in crucial areas of CRIN mandate for which the institute  has been unable to work on since it was established.”

Other grievances of the union against CRIN management are that it refused to fund research “despite unprecedented huge fund allocation of over (N660,000,000) by the Federal Government in 2000).

Water is not provided in the laboratories. Electricity is tersely generated. Researchers use their meagre resources to execute research.” The union also said that the management “has not been able to provide internet facilities despite huge amount already spent on the project.

The management was also accused of refusing to fund postgraduate training, harassing subordinates, embarking on acts of favouritism, lacking in due process and transparency in the execution of the reform programme, absenteeism and incessant foreign trips. In all, the union listed thirty allegations against the administration of Professor Iremiren.

The union’s demands also include an improved condition of service for research institutions and colleges of Agriculture and allied institutions. The union’s letter to the labour minister said that “the inter-ministerial committee responsible for drafting a new conditions and schemes of service for Federal Research Institutions, Colleges of Agriculture and Allied Institutions has not met for almost a year.

The committee was established through the intervention of the minister when the union  declared a trade dispute in 2006.

The union therefore” expresses deep frustration that the committee of Directors  (CODRI) has been unable to host the committee despite the fact that the committee was supposed to be hosted by Directors of the research institutions.” ASURI noted that the period the committee met at National Veterinary Research Institute NURI, Vom, CODRI was unable to fund the attendance of the meetings by the trade unions contrary to provisions of the current conditions of service.

The union said that “whiles the resolution of the matter of the conditions of service is in abeyance, the rain drain of researchers from the research institutes to the universities has continued unabated.

Experienced researchers who have been expecting a better conditions of service have lost patience and left. The public and private universities are poaching the research institutes for academic staff.”
ASURI therefore resolved that the inter-ministerial committee should complete its job before September 22 otherwise the union would forge ahead with the strike.

ASURI is also asking for review of the consolidated tertiary institutions salary structure (CONTISS) contained in a circular with Reference NO SWC/S/04S 301 & dated 18 January 2007 issued by the National salaries and wages commission.

The circular according to the union has “merged the remuneration of academic staff and non-academic staff in autonomous federal research institutions.” By this act, the union said, “the academic staff of research institutions were inexplicably severed from their statutory equivalents in Nigerian universities contrary to extent rules and regulations governing the salaries and emoluments of academic staff in research institutions.

The union said this act “not only denigrates the quality of work of researchers but also relegates researchers in autonomous research institutions.”

According to Dr. Alhassan Maji the National President of ASURI at a pres conference in Lagos on Monday, government must address all the issues raised by the union so as to guarantee industrial harmony in the research institutions. Vanguard however can reveal that crucial to the restoration of peace in the research institutions is the resolution of the crisis at CRIN.

Between last year and now Vanguard has visited CRIN three times. Professor Gabriel Iremirien, the Executive Director CRIN spoke to Vanguard on phone on one occasion and on another occasion when Vanguard met him at CRIN he said he was too busy to take a full scale interview but that one of his assistants who handles media and public affairs would address the issues.

However, he counselled Vanguard to be wary of unionists who hide under the cloack of unionism to disobey the rules and regulations of their places of work.

He said the secretary general of ASURI, Deacon Theophilus Ndubuakwu has disciplinary cases to answer and has been given adequate opportunity to defend himself. On the long list of allegations by ASURI bordering on corruption and victimisation of unionists, he said “do not be deceived by the propaganda.

I know that they are using you media men to make unfounded allegations but I can tell you that appropriate arms of government are already looking into the matter. One of the unionists had a date with the police recently and investigations are going on. The generality of staff  here are going about their work conscientiously.

You move round the institute to see things for yourself. When people refuse to do their work but choose to run cheap campaigns of calumny, an institution cannot be held hostage.”

We have done a lot to improve the welfare of staff and salaries are paid regularly and some of the demands for better conditions of service and implementation of contiss are for the federal government to handle. I have an important meeting now my assistants can give you more information.”

Mr. Bunmi Olukotun told Vanguard that the administration of Professor Iremirien has maintained peace in the institute. He said it is not true that research has not been funded and that the institute can only work with available funds.

He disclosed that one of the unionists was alleged to have secured appointment with a fake certificate and that the matter is being investigated.

His words, “apart from various acts of indiscipline like absenteeism, going on union meetings for weeks without showing up in their places of work, the management is investigating an allegation that one of the so called unionists got this job with fake certificate, I mean if that is found to be true you can see how serious that could be.”

The Deputy Director of CRIN Dr Mrs F.A. Okelana in one of the instances Vanguard met her said she does not speak to the press. Her words, “I can tell you that I do not speak to the press. Only the Director can handle things like that. He is the only one who can answer your questions on allegations made by the union.”

When Vanguard asked her to speak on the progress made by the institute, she said, “quite unlike the wrong impression being created outside CRIN has a number of research findings that can be commercialised.

It is the duty of the private sector to work with us.” Dr Mrs Okelana enjoined stakeholders to collaborate with research institutions to attract more funding and ensure that the research findings are made available to the nation.

Vanguard reliably gathered that the ministry of labour is aware of the new turn of events in the protracted dispute between ASURI and FG on the one hands and ASURI and CRIN management on the other.

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