The Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI) has threatened to shut down the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) on August 31 over a dispute surrounding the implementation of the Federal Government’s eight-year tenure policy for directors.
The union accused the Director-General of NIMR, Professor John Obafunwa, of attempting to retire Academic/Research Professors who have spent eight years as directors, despite arguments that the policy does not apply to research professors.
ASURI maintained that Chief Research Fellows and Research Professors in research institutions enjoy conditions of service similar to their counterparts in universities and are entitled to remain in service until they attain 65 years of age or complete 40 years of pensionable service.
The dispute centres on a Federal Government policy requiring directors on Grade Level 17 in the public service to retire after eight years in the position. The union insists that a directorship is an appointment rather than a substantive rank for Academic/Research Professors.
ASURI’s National Secretary, Professor Theophilus Ndubuaku, said the current dispute began after a recent circular from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation failed to expressly exempt research professors, as previous directives had done.
According to him, the union had written to the Head of Service seeking clarification but had yet to receive a response.
He said the lack of clarification gave the NIMR management the basis to proceed with the retirement of some research professors who had served eight years as directors.
The union also cited a ruling by the National Industrial Court, delivered by Justice Olufunke Anuwe, which struck down the application of the eight-year retirement rule to teachers and education officers covered by the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Act, 2022.
In the judgment, the court held that teachers and education officers were entitled to remain in service until they attained 65 years of age or completed 40 years of service.
ASURI further referred to a 2014 National Industrial Court judgment involving Dr Soibi Dede and the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), in which the court held that a research academic staff member serving as a director was not subject to the eight-year tenure policy and could remain in service until age 65.
The union argued that these judicial pronouncements, alongside previous government directives, supported its position that Academic/Research Professors should not be compulsorily retired after eight years as directors.
The dispute escalated after NIMR issued a notice dated August 7, directing some research professors affected by the policy to hand over government properties and vacate their offices and official apartments by August 31.
The notice stated that the affected officers had previously been informed of their disengagement from service, effective December 31, 2026, but had allegedly failed to hand over government property or vacate their official residences.
ASURI condemned the directive, arguing that it was issued despite ongoing discussions between the union and government over the retirement policy.
Ndubuaku said the union had previously engaged the Ministry of Labour over several complaints concerning NIMR management. While other issues were resolved, he said the dispute over the tenure of research professors remained unresolved.
He alleged that during a meeting on July 20, the Permanent Secretary advised the NIMR Director-General against ejecting the affected professors while the dispute remained unresolved.
According to him, despite the advice, the August 7 notices were subsequently issued.
Ndubuaku said ASURI had written to the Ministry of Health and was prepared to resume industrial action if the matter was not resolved.
“We will lock down NIMR on August 31,” he warned.
The union also argued that affected researchers should be given sufficient time to receive their gratuities and pensions before being required to vacate their official residences.
Ndubuaku described the proposed action against the research professors as unfair, arguing that highly specialised researchers should not be treated in the same manner as career civil servants.
He maintained that the union would return to the National Industrial Court as advised by the Ministry of Labour and would continue to demand clarification and enforcement of what it described as the exemption of Academic/Research Professors from the eight-year tenure policy.
However, Obafunwa denied that there was any crisis at NIMR.
Speaking on the matter, the NIMR Director-General said the institute was operating normally and that there were no issues among its staff.
“At this point in time, I can tell you that there are no issues at NIMR. Everybody is at work, so there are no issues,” he said.
Obafunwa directed enquiries about the retirement dispute to a rejoinder published in the August 22 edition of Saturday Vanguard, saying it contained answers to the questions surrounding the matter.
When asked whether the position contained in the rejoinder represented his own position, the NIMR boss answered in the affirmative.
The dispute now places ASURI and the NIMR management on a potential collision course, with the union threatening industrial action while awaiting further clarification from the Head of the Civil Service and judicial determination of the contentious retirement policy.
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