Governing Council Seeks President Muhammad Buhari’s Intervention In NITR Leadership Crisis

Governing Council of the National Institute of Trypanosomiasis and Onchocerciasis Research (NITR) has called on President Muhammad Buhari to intervene in the leadership crisis rocking the institute to avoid the breakdown of law and order.

The chairman of the governing council, Hon. Haruna Shehu Lambu, also appealed to Buhari and the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha to call the minister of science and technology, Dr Adeleke Mamora, to order.

He said, “The relationship between the governing council, the ministry and the minister is not a master/servant relationship but a supervisory role on the part of the ministry.

Addressing journalists yesterday in Kaduna, Hon. Lambu said the former overseeing director-general of the institute, Dr. Felicia Enwezor, had been suspended since 22nd July, 2022 and Dr J. J. Ajakaiye appointed as acting DG.

The two-time member of the House of Representatives wondered why the minister had refused to respect the judgement of the National Industrial Court (NIC), Abuja, which indicated that the tenure of the current governing board would expire on 31st March, 2023.

Lambu said, “We were legally appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018. The application filed by the minister and the ministry for stay of execution of the judgment was refused and struck out by the court. So, there is no order whatsoever restraining our council from carrying out its legitimate functions.

“The law is that a judgment of the court whether good or bad must first be obeyed until it is set aside or overturned on appeal, our council by this judgement has powers to continue to carry out the functions of the governing council of the institute until the end of its tenure or the judgement is overturned on appeal.”