Why staff move against Agric Research Council

Activities at the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) were grounded in the last few weeks over what the staff called “deliberate violation of the council Act” regarding staff promotion.

The staff, in a protest in Abuja at the ARCN premises, also accused the management of the council of allegedly using armed policemen to intimidate them for calling the management’s attention to respect the council’s laws as contained in the Act that set it up.

The problem started a few weeks ago when a committee set up to screen staff due for promotion disqualified many on the ground that they needed a PhD to rise to director cadre - an issue that has been in contention since 2014.

In a letter dated 10th October, 2017 to the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, signed by their chairman, Ademola Oloyede, secretary, Ubi Ikpi, as well as other union officials, the staff, under the Joint Action Committee, the various unions made two requests to the minister.

The requests are: “That the Ag Executive Secretary, Professor A. A. Voh and Dr. Celestine Ikuenobe who headed the screening committee, should as a matter of urgency, vacate the council for reasons of abuse of office, gross incompetence, completion of approved one year secondment (from 1st April, 2016 to 31st March, 2017) and being above the retirement age of 60 years or 35 years of service.”

They also want the duo “to be compelled by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, being the mother and supervisory ministry of ARCN, to write and sign an undertaking guaranteeing the safety of the lives of the staff in ARCN following harassment of staff by armed policemen.”

The staff also cited a directive dated 29th January, 2015 from the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, which was copied to the Executive Secretary of ARCN stating that: “The ARCN is a regulatory and policy coordinating body for agricultural research institutes owed by the Federal Government. Its role is similar to those of the National Universities Commission which is the regulatory body for universities, but whose staff retire at 35 years of service or 60 years of age. The rationale provided by the council is insufficient to establish and classify the council as a research organization.”

In his response, the Ag Executive Secretary of the Council, Professor A. A. Voh, said everything the council was doing was in consonance with the act establishing the council and also the condition of service of the council’s staff, research institutes and colleges.

Professor Voh stressed that he had discussed the issue with the permanent secretary regarding the staff grievances, adding that the actions were in accordance with the council’s Act.