MINILS’ staff kick against Issa Aremu’s re-appointment as DG
* Urge Tinubu to consider unions’ reports in Fed Labour Ministry
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
Workers of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, have kicked against the re-appointment of Comrade Issa Aremu as the Director-General (DG) of the Institute, urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to consider the reports of the three labour unions of the Institute which had been submitted to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment before appointing the next DG for the institute.
However, President Tinubu had last week renewed the tenure of the former labour leader whose tenure expired on May 17th this year for another four years.
Addressing workers on Monday at the Institute, under the aegis of the Joint Action Committee, the Chairmen of the three unions: Ruth Ejechi, Idris Abdulmajeed and Joel Afolayan of Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions, Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of University, Teaching Hospital Research and Allied Institutions (SSA) respectively, accused the Issa Aremu of alleged maladministration, high-handedness and mismanagement.
Describing Issa Aremu’s four-year administration as experimental, the trio’s address was presented by
Comrade Afolayan.
They added: “It became necessary to have our thoughts documented and duly passed across to you today, particularly at the wake of misgivings not only about our dear premier institute but also about its most valued, cherished and resourceful human resources.
“The evidence of outstanding performance over four decades, even with limited resources, is indisputable. The institute was privileged to be administered by different personalities who delivered based on the richness of their intellectual capacities, depth of public relations and workplace culture.
“Experimental leadership rocked the boat; disrupted the sail, and nearly sank the institute.
“These necessitated the need to categorically urge the general public, the working population, labour centres, labour unions, and government to disregard misgivings surrounding his purported reappointment.”
They added that, Issa Aremu came from outside of the public service and “did not come with the knowledge of how things work here. During his first tenure he was unteachable. He was simply for himself not for staff development. The four years were terrible times for the workforce. Staff development was put on hold.”
But the newly reappointed DG pledged to consolidate on the achievements of the last four years and further realign the premier Institute to the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on quality labour education to promote decent job creation through youths skills acquisition programme and industrial harmony in the country.
His pledge was contained in his letter of appreciation to the President having collected his reappointment letter at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in Abuja on Monday.
The DG said he “was highly privileged to be reappointed to serve at times of far reaching reform agenda under a deliberate, patriotic, audacious President”, adding that his “reappointment further repositions him to continue with the promotion of labour/civil society/ citizens engagements on the unprecedented achievements at the labour sector under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu”.