Workers at the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, have declared a three-day fast and prayer over the suspension of the 2021 promotion and other problems affecting the institute.
The PUNCH reported on November 8, 2022, that the workers lamented the institute’s new governing board led by Alhaji Gambo Magaji, which was inaugurated in October 2021, jettisoned the promotion exercise conducted by the former board in July 2021.
The institute’s branch Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Universities Teaching Hospitals Research Institutes and Associated Institutions, Togunde Oyekola, told our correspondent on Wednesday that staff members held prayer and fasting sessions between Tuesday and Thursday last week.
He said, “In a bid to further put pressure on the board of FIIRO led by Alhaji Gambo Magaji, the entire staff members of FIIRO agreed to declare three days of fasting and prayer to seek God’s intervention on various problems facing and militating against the progress of FIIRO.
“The prayer session started on Tuesday and the final day, which was on Thursday, was a special prayer rally. We did this so that God will touch the hearts of everybody involved in creating these problems in FIIRO.
“One of the notable problems is the suspension of the implementation of the 2021 promotion. If this is not implemented before the end of December 2022, the money budgeted for its implementation in the personnel budget in 2022 will be returned to the treasury and the effect is that all staff members of FIIRO will be stagnated for three years.
“Regarding the 2022 promotion, if it is not conducted in the year that people are due it shows they will lose a whole year, this is a rule in the public service.”
Oyekola lamented the alleged relocation of the institute to Abuja and appealed to the Presidency and supervisory ministry to intervene in the matter.
He said, “The purported illegal relocation of FIIRO to Abuja is not good for the nation if some individual can just decide to change the history of the foremost research institute for its purpose to serve small-scale industries and solve major industrial problems through our research activities will just be relocated with no justification, no council memo or any government instruments for that purpose.
“We call on the Presidency and the supervisory ministry to come out with an official statement on the status of FIIRO else the impunity we see in FIIRO today can repeat itself anywhere in the future. We call on well-meaning Nigerians not to watch this great institute of importance to the industrial development of Nigeria go down the drain.”
A worker at the institute, Ikusedun Mojibayo, stated that the workers of the institute and union leaders were tired of fighting and agitating hence the need to commit all matters in the hands of God.
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