NACETEM Faults Call for Dissolution of its Governing Board

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo.

The Governing Board of the National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM) has described a call for its dissolution by the Academic Staff Union of Research Institutes (ASURI) as absurd.

In a statement issued and personally signed at the weekend by Chairman, NACETEM Governing Board, Haastrup Adewale Olatunji, noted that a keen observer of the goings-on at NACETEM in the last six months would know that the impasse was a creation of ASURI which came up with unfounded allegations to scuttle a legitimate recruitment process.

According to him “This was possible because it was done in collusion with the erstwhile Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Chief Ikechukwu Ikoh who had vested interest in the so-called appointed DG/CEO of NACETEM, one Dr. Olusola Odusanya.

“It is therefore not surprising that ASURI, like a sinking man, is trying to cling to a straw with a view to finishing the hatchet man’s job they started long ago.”

He said, “ordinarily, the Board would not have joined issues with ASURI’s National Secretary, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, whose only means of livelihood is profiteering from unionism years after he had left the public service, but the spurious allegations in the letter signed by him and circulated to the press need to be corrected so as not to mislead the public.”

The chairman stressed that, “The Board has nothing against Dr. Sola Odusanya as a person. He responded to the call for application for the position of DG/CEO of NACETEM, as did ten others, by the Board, but have not made it to the shortlisting stage, when a development which led to the shenanigans of ASURI, the former Minister of State for Science , Technology and Innovation, Chief Ikechukwu Ikoh and some sycophantic officials within the Ministry engendered.

“We have maintained since the beginning of this imbroglio that the recruitment process, that sidelined the Governing Board of NACETEM, was not only flawed, but completely illegal premised on the 2019 Conditions of Service, which was confirmed approved in error and had since been disowned by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.”

“The Governing Board several times also attempted to warn the immediate past Minister of State, Chief Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh, against meddling in a lawful process, that had especially become subjudiced, as it was already a matter of litigation at a Federal High court, and still pending.

“To insinuate that the Board has been sponsoring the Non-academic Staff Union (NASU) to picket the office is very ridiculous.

“If this is the case, then the Board must also be responsible for the running battles the erstwhile Minister had in some other sister agencies where appointment of their DGs was equally questionable.”