By Gbenga Olarinoye

Workers at Centre for Energy Research and Development CERD, Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile Ife have asked President Mohammadu Buhari to beam his searchlight to   funds appropriated for the centre since Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, NAEC took over its supervision in 2006.

Buhari

They said the move is necessary, if the country wants to keep pace with global trend in nuclear energy programme and fulfil the dreams behind establishment of the centre.

The centre located at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife was established in 1976 alongside Centre for Energy Research and Training, CERT, Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria, to develop the country’s nuclear energy programme.

At inception, the centre was funded through Cabinet Office, and was later moved to Energy Commission of Nigeria, ECN, and in 2006, NAEC took over its funding, the period the employees alleged the centre started having problems.

However, speaking during a facility tour of the centre by newsmen, staff of CERD, alleged that the establishment was close to achieving the goals for which it was but for its transfer to NAEC’s for supervision.

The staffers, comprising nine professors and 57 other employees, said they were owed several statutory entitlements, including radiation allowance and research grants, adding that for  over eight years, there was no capital allocation to both CERD, OAU and CERT, ABU.

They added that overhead allocation that was almost N6 million per month before take over of the centre by NAEC in 2006 has since dropped to N900, 000, stressing that the supervisory body also retains an average of 76 per cent of the Commission’s overhead, leaving it with only 24 per cent.

Conducting newsmen round the centre, one of its director, Prof. Adeniyi Fasasi, said since 2007 no new equipments had been purchased for the CERD, noting that that a Thelma Hydraulic laboratory was built for the centre six years ago, but is yet to be equipped.