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ASURI urges Tinubu to reject tenure extension proposal of former RMRDC DG
The Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions(ASURI)has called on President Bola Tinubu to reject the tenure extension proposal of former director general of the
Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Hussein Ibrahim after his second and final tenure in office expired on April 7, 2024.
Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, Secretary General of the ASURI, stated this in a letter addressed to the president and made available to the press on Wednesday in Abuja.
The letter was titled:
Urgent need to curb Professor Hussaini D. Ibrahim from holding on to the finances of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) after the expiration of his second and final tenure as Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the Council.
In the letter, the ASURI Secretary General argued that Prof. Ibrahim, former two term director general of the RMRDC totally disregarded and violated extant financial regulations by still holding on to the finances of the council.
“Following our protest letter of 16th April 2024, with Ref. No. ASN/SGF/RMRDC/0424/01, in which we reported his refusal to hand- over to the next most senior Director in compliance with extant regulations and vacate office.
” Professor Ibrahim did a hushed verbal handover to the Director of Industrial Plant and Equipment, Engineer Emmanuel Kwaya, without any documentation.
“However, he continues to hold on to control of the Council’s finances, authorizing payments and performing other executive functions as if nothing has changed, ” the letter read.
Ndubuaku wrote that ASURI had it on good account that the former RMRDC’s D-G, Ibrahim applied for tenure extension, which was an aberration with no legal backing anywhere.
He said Ibrahim was “already boasting that his approval would receive a Presidential nod anytime from now, which explains why he does not want to hand over.”
The ASURI Secretary General cited section 9 (d) of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council Act, 2022, which stated that the Director General/CEO shall “hold office for a term of five years in the first instance and may be re-appointed for another term of five years and no more.”
Ndubuaku clarified that giving Ibrahim a tenure extension of even one day would be an anathema to the laws of the land and the system and would negatively impact the anti-corruption stance and integrity of the President Bola Tinubu administration.
The letter explained that before Ibrahim was appointed as substantive Chief Executive of RMRDC in April 2014, he had occupied the position in an acting capacity for one year.
” He was appointed for a four-year tenure under the existing Establishment Act. He manipulated an amendment of the Act to make it a five-year tenure for the CEO, for which he has enjoyed two tenures of five years each, making a total stretch of 11 years as Chief Executive of RMRDC. “
Referring to the Circular of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) of 4th December 2024 with Ref. No. SGF.50/S.11/C.2/268 titled, “End of tenure processes for Heads of Extra-Ministerial Departments, Directors General , Chief Executive Officers of Parastatals, Agencies, Commissions and Government -owned companies succession guideline.”
The ASURI Secretary General said the circular stated: “…pending the appointment of a substantive Head of Extra-Ministerial Department/Director General/Chief Executive Officer of Parastatals, Agency, Commission and Government-owned Company, the outgoing Chief Executive Officer must handover to the next most senior officer of the establishment, as long as the officer does not have any pending disciplinary matter. “
Ndubuaku said the circular further explicitly stated that “outgoing Heads of Extra-Ministerial Departments, Parastatals, Agencies, Commissions, and Government-Owned Companies, are not allowed the discretion of choosing the officer to whom they would hand over.”
He said Professor Ibrahim’s refusal to hand-over formally and vacate office administratively and financially was also in violation of section 2.1.2 (d) (ii) of Conditions of Service for Federal Research Agencies, Institutions and Colleges (COS 2019).
The ASURI Secretary General therefore prayed that President Tinubu should reject the proposal of Professor Ibrahim for a tenure extension, no matter how brief.
That the President should direct office of the Accountant General of the Federation to delay the release of quarterly allocation of funds to RMRDC until a proper handover by Professor Ibrahim is done.
The ASURI also prayed that Tinubu directs a probe into the circumstances leading to the refusal of the former D-G to hand over and the financial authorizations he has granted since 8th April 2024.
News
Body of Benchers will not fail in its duty to enforce discipline in legal profession – Awomolo
The Body of Benchers (BoB) will not fail in its duty to apply the Rules and enforce discipline no matter the status, position or rank of any legal practitioner involved.
The Body of Benchers is a statutory Body established by the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962 (as amended), Cap. L11 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Section 3 of the Act stipulates that the Body of Benchers is the Legal Body of Practitioners of the highest distinction in the legal profession, which shall be responsible for the formal call to the Bar of persons seeking to become legal practitioners as well as disciplining of erring lawyers.
Chairman of the BoB, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo SAN, made this known in his key-note address at the ongoing 2024 Law Week of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abuja Branch (Unity Bar) on Thursday in Abuja.
The law week is with theme: `Developing the Law to Attain National Stability and Development’.
He noted that corruption has reached alarming proportions in the legal profession and that the practice permeats both the Inner and the Outer Bars.
“It is commonly believed that my colleagues of the Inner Bar perpetrate and involve themselves in unwholesome practices with impunity.
“I have challenged those I read and knew their authors on social media and I am waiting for proof on any of these allegations.
“There is need for all of us to be conversant with the Rules of Professional Conduct at the Bar published in 2023 and that are fundamental provisions that are a complete departure from all the previous Rules.
Awomolo, said that attainment of national stability and development can only be happen when the proper and the right instrumentality of the law is enacted, faithfully implemented, obeyed and enforced.
He noted that the law was only meaningful when it addresses the common goal of government of the people, by the people and for the people.
He said that Nigeria has remained stagnated, poorly governed, and underdeveloped because of a deficit in the quality of governance by the people we elected into political offices, and those appointed into public offices.
“The country’s problems include a dysfunctional socio-political structure, entrenched corruption, and an unproductive economy hence there is a dispute over whether Nigeria is a failed State.
“The late Fela Kuti’s words in his popular song “Suffering and Smiling” perfectly capture the Nigerian experience, highlighting the fact that problems persist, and continue to evolve in various forms.
“The country’s problems are not solved, but rather persisted.
“This has led to huge economic loss, massive brain drain and high loss of majority of Nigerian’s vibrant, intellectual and active youth in what is called the ‘Japa’ Syndrome.
“The effect of this unfortunate demographic loss in human resources manifest mostly in professional and technical sectors and industries because of the unemployment of educated and skilled youths’’.
Also speaking, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Chris Uche said Nigerians have lost hope in the legal profession.
Uche, who was the Chairman of the event said the lecture will afford his learned brothers the opportunity to have a rethink and help the society.
“People have lost hope in this our profession, so we want to see how our gathering today will help to give us hope as lawyers.
“It has always been said that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man, but in recent times in this country that has become very debatable.
“This is an opportunity as practitioners to see how we can use the law to help the society, to help the country and also to help ourselves’’, he added.
He, therefore, urged participants to be in the right frame of mind, have the right spirit to consume and to receive and to impact positively on the society.
Mr Afam Okeke, the Chairman of the Unity Branch in his welcome address said the annual event was part of providing a platform to celebrate the vital role of lawyers in our society.
“It’s a time to reflect on our achievements, and contributions to the national discourse, and address challenges on our way to greater impact.
“The theme `Developing the Law to Attain National Stability and Development’ affords us the opportunity to evaluate our roles in upholding the rule of law and its impact on our society.
“Through this theme, we will once more be reminded of our shared commitment to justice, fairness, and the protection of fundamental rights’’.
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edited by Sadiya Hamza
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