…From Dele Ogunyemi, Ibadan…
The crisis rocking the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Ibadan, has taken a new twist with the National headquarters of the three main unions at the Institute dispatching a petition to the Federal Government, demanding the removal of both the Governing Board Chairman, Chief Francis Fadahunsi and the Executive Director, Professor Malachi Akoroda.
In the same vein, the unions’ headquarters directed the protesting workers to continue to stay off the institute until government can guarantee their safety.
It will be recalled that the crisis at CRIN which began in July worsened last Tuesday (22/10/13) with the maltreatment of some workers allegedly by thugs during the visit of Chief Fadahunsi to the institute located at Idi- Ayunre, an outskirts of Ibadan, Oyo state capital. Fadahunsi, at the same time announced the proscription of all workers’ unions in the institute in addition to suspension of some management staff over an allegation that they instigated the labour crisis in the Institute just as he also threatened to henceforth stop the salary of the protesting workers.
However, the national headquarters of the three labour unions at the Institute namely the Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), the Senior Staff Association of Universities Teaching Hospital, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI) and Non Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), in a Save-Our-Souls (SOS) letter addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, gave the low down of circumstances surrounding the CRIN crisis and the last Tuesday incident.
Copies of the petition were similarly dispatched to two Ministers including that of Agriculture and labour.
Dated 28/10/13 and signed by representatives of the three unions including NASU General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, SSAUTHRIAI General Secretary, Mashood Akinade and ASURI Secretary General, CTN Ndubuaku, the petition concluded that “in view of the foregoing, it is abundantly clear that the lives of our members and their families in CRIN are in danger and cannot be guaranteed even with the presence of law enforcement agents.”
The petition read in part: “In the circumstance and until there is abundant evidence that concrete steps are taken to guarantee safety of lives and property of our members the neutrality of the chairman of CRIN Governing Board in the area of intimidation and coercion, of the beseeched workers; it is doubtful if the leadership of both the Executive Director, Professor Malachi Akoroda and that of the new Board Chairman, Chief Francis Fadahunsi can be sustained.
“In the meantime, all members of the three unions are directed to stay away from work until further notice.”
In another development, top echelon of the three unions, equally addressed a joint press conference on the crisis on Tuesday in Ibadan, where they also tendered necessary documents including photographs of some of the CRIN workers allegedly assaulted by thugs during Chief Fadahunsi’s last Tuesday’s visit to the Institute.
The union leaders, among who are ASURI National Vice President, Dr. Nnamdi Onoka, SSAUTHRIAI General Secretary, Mashood Akinade, NASU Senior Deputy General Secretary, Festus Jonah Ajayi, NASU CRIN Chairperson, Otuonye Tessy , Chairman , ASURI, CRIN Branch, Dr. Semiu Ogunwolu and SSAUTHRIAI , CRIN Branch, Ogunbosoye Idowu, also traced the genesis of the crisis.
Akinade who spoke on their behalf frowned at the development at the CRIN, maintaining that Chief Fadahunsi’s visit worsened the situation.
His words: “There had been agitations of the workers in Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria since July 26, 2013 over a number of grievances which include that the Executive Director of CRIN lacks managerial administrative and inter personal skills; the disruption of research in CRIN by appointing the most junior Director as the Director of Research; Release of a meagre sum of N7.5million for Research out of N154million released to CRIN in 2012; Introduction of balloting for programme contrary to what is obtainable; sacking of 248 daily rated workers who are from the community; and planned transfer of genetic materials to IITA and UI, amongst others.”
The labour leaders remarked that even though the government had made previous attempts to resolve the crisis, leading to the setting up of various panels and Committees, no final resolution was achieved. It was also revealed that it was in the course of resolution of the crisis that the Governing Board was constituted.
The unionists stated: “On Tuesday, 22nd October,2013, the chairman, through telephone calls to the chairmen of ASURI and NASU invited the union leaders to a meeting …As the meeting progressed, two calls reached the unions that an Armoured vehicle had been positioned at the CRIN Gate. They immediately drew the attention of the Board chairman to it, which he dismissed. Some minutes later, it was reported that the Armoured vehicle had been withdrawn.
“To our amazement, the chairman and his members came to the institute in the afternoon in a convoy of heavily armed policemen, two armoured personnel carriers, political thugs heralded by sirens and hillux cars loaded with policemen while workers were merrying to welcome the Board Chairman as requested. At the approach of the entourage of the chairman, the workers noticed that the thugs were armed with lethal weapons which made the workers to quickly shut the gate. However on getting to the gate, the thugs scaled over the gate, vandalized same, and unleashed unspeakable terror on the workers, including Messrs Oyewole Olaoluwa and Charles Ehimmen, among others.
Copies of medical report from a private hospital at Orita Challenge in Ibadan (Lad Medical Centre), confirming that Messrs Ehimmen and Olaloluwa were actually brought in for treatment of injuries they sustained on Tuesday , 24/10/13, were also displayed to newsmen at the press conference.
The union leaders expressed anger and shock that rather being sober and accommodating, the Governing Board Chairman, reportedly announced the suspension of four Directors at the institute, dissolved the institute’s internal management committee, stopped staff salary on the false allegation that they had not been working since 6th July 2013 and proscribed the three unions in the institute.
While declaring that their current agitation on the CRIN crisis would be pursued to a logical conclusion, the labour leaders maintained that the war has just begun since, according to them, “CRIN is a federal institute while nobody can just announce the proscription of our unions and maltreat our colleagues expecting to go scot free.”
Chief Fadahunsi could not be reached as at press time.