From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Academic Staff Union of Research Institute (ASURI) of the National Institute for Trypanosomiasis Research (NITR), Kaduna on Monday protested against alleged bad leadership by the governing council of the Institute.
The staff also said that the protest was part of a 3-day warning strike in order to press home their demands which were not forthcoming.
As early as 7.30 Am on Monday the aggrieved staff of the Institute blocked all entry points into the institute preventing staff access to their offices.
However, when contacted to comment on allegations by the staff, through her mobile phone,  the Overseeing Director General (DG) of the Institute, Dr.FNC Enwezo did not pick the call put across to her at the time of filing this report.
The protesting workers were seen holding placards with different inscriptions some of which read, ‘Follow the due process in recalling staff on Training Dr (Mrs) FNC Enwezo,’ Stop misinterpreting the Public service rules and offices documents, ‘No staff sponsorship for more than 15 years in NITR among others.
Chairman, Academic Staff Union, Research Institute (ASURI), Moyijo Hussaini told Reporters shortly after the protest that, “It is disheartening when the Minister of Science and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu is putting his best to reshape the Ministry at the direction so as to achieve the desire goal of Mr President, Muhammad Buhari, the Overseeing DG, Dr FNC Enwezo is creating industrial disharmony since her assumption in office in September 2021.
Hussaini said the greatest undoing of the Overseer DG was her non recognition of reverse condition of service of 2019 which was adopted and recognised by all the research institutions in the country except NITR.
“Today we are the only institute, that does not recognize the reverse condition of service and book of service, a document that is approved by the Head of Service of the Federation to all federal establishments”.
He noted that implementation of the above has been put into use by all research institutions in the country.
The union also accused the Overseeing DG of not following due process before recalling over 100 staff who are currently on training in various universities and organizations in the country.
He said these affected staff have gone on training with the approval of the Institute, saying some of them are even about to round off their study but they were asked to return to the office.
The Union chairman added, “this institute cannot boast of 10 PhD holders in its employment, we wrote to her in order to sit down and iron some of these things. But she has been avoiding us”.
He said the staff have every constitutional rights to protest against injustice because, “workers are guaranteed by the provisions of the labour act 1990 and the International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, particularly conventions 27 and 98 right of freedom of Association and collective bargainings.
“Also the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees the right to freedom of Association and peaceful assembly (section 40) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as Amended) to its citizens including children”.