Labour unions at the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS) in Ilorin have unanimously rejected the reappointment of Comrade Issa Aremu as Director General for a second term.
The unions, in a joint address to their members on Monday, called on President Bola Tinubu to review the reports they had previously submitted to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment before making a decision on the next director general for the institute.
Leading the charge were Ruth Ejechi, Chairperson of the Academic Staff Union of Research (MINILS chapter), Idris Abdulmajeed, Chairman of the Senior Staff Association (MINILS chapter), and Dele Joel Afolayan, Chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union (MINILS chapter).
The labour leaders expressed serious concerns about what they described as significant underdevelopment at the institute during Aremu's four-year tenure. They specifically alleged that funds allocated for training programmes were not utilized for their intended purposes under his leadership.
"Infrastructure development has suffered serious neglect during the past four years," the union leaders stated, attributing this decline to mismanagement by the current administration.
The unions emphasized that they had already submitted their grievances to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, which they expect to be addressed before any new appointment is made.
Comrade Issa Aremu, who has just completed his first four-year term as Director General of the institute, has been a prominent figure in Nigeria's labour movement. Prior to this controversy, he had been involved in various national labour discussions, including advising the federal government on subsidy removal negotiations.
The Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, named after Nigeria's renowned labour leader Michael Imoudu, is a federal government agency responsible for labour education and research in Nigeria.
As of the time of reporting, there has been no official response from either Comrade Aremu or the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment regarding the unions' position.
