BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
The National Centre for Technology Management Ile-Ife, Osun State has been engulfed in crisis as the Non-Academic Staff Union of the Educational and Associated Institution, NACETEM branch protested what they termed illegal appointment of the centre Director General and Chief Executive Officer.
They called on President Muhammadu Buhari to check what they termed the ‘evil agenda’ of Chief Henry Ikoh, the Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation on the appointment of DG/CEO of the institution.
Reacting to the protest, the Chairman of the Board, Haastrup Adewale Olatunji, commended the union for being peaceful in their demands, saying “the board commended you for your interest in the development of the institution.”
The protesting workers also made it clear that the Minister was planning to dissolve the existing Board put in place by the Federal Government in order to have his way by imposing his candidate as Director General of the Institute in Ile-Ife.
The union spokesperson, Olumide Fadakinte, urged the president to quickly check Ikoh’s evil agenda to avert disaster in the institution and warned him not to dissolve the existing Board put in place by the Federal Government.
Fadakinte noted that Ikoh’s agenda has been fuelling problems in the agency with a view to imposing his person as the Director General and Chief Executive officer which he emphasised contradicted the practice in the Institution.
He said, “Appointment of anyone by the Minister is illegitimate and unacceptable by the union, therefore he should be called to order until proper procedures and process are followed.
“We are trying to put things in a proper shape, we are not fighting anybody but trying to let the Minister know that it’s the responsibility of the Board of Directors to appoint DG/CEO for the Institution, as any illegalities by the Minister will not stand.
“We stand with our governing board to say no to illegalities on the appointment of DG/CEO in our institution,” he said.
Also, in his remarks during the protest, the Chairman of NACETEM NASU, Gbadamonsi Banji said no agenda fashioned against the institution would prosper.
However, the placards displayed to show their grievances by the protesters read, “Say no to arrangee DG/CEO,” “illegitimate exercise will not stand,” “Let the Governing Board do the Right Thing, It’s the Duty of the Board to Appoint DG/CEO.”
While speaking further, the Board Chairman pointed out that members of the board would not be part of illegalities in the process of appointing the leadership of the institution.
The chairman stressed that the board would follow the rules as it’s laid down in appointing the leadership, but urged the union to exercise restraint saying that the board would work for the best in order to restore sanity back in the system.
Olatunji commended staff as well as the union members for taking interest of the institution in the upper most of their hearts, saying the board would not let them down.
He also confirmed the allegation that the Minister was planning to dissolve the existing Board put in place by the Federal Government.
