Reps Grant Nuclear Centers Financial Autonomy, Query Wages Commission Over Unpaid Hazard Allowance

The Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Renewable Energy, Hon. Afam Victor Ogene on Thursday disclosed that the National Assembly is working towards ensuring that the Budget Office of the Federation grant the nation’s two Nuclear centres financial autonomy, by providing them with separate budget lines for effective and efficient discharge of their mandate.

The two centres are the Centre for Energy Research and Training, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Centre for Energy Research and Development, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife.

The Lawmaker further called on personnel and nuclear scientists managing Nigeria’s nuclear research centres to make efforts to avoid any act of sabotage that could lead to adverse incident that would jeopardise the security of the nation, in spite of their grouses over lingering non payment of the approved hazard and high-risk allowance due to them.

Hon. Ogene said this in Abuja, when representatives of the two Centres met with the Committee on Renewable Energy, at the National Assembly, in continuation of the investigation into why the hazard and high-risk allowances, which was approved for the scientists in the two centres were withheld by the Budget Office, but ironically, allegedly, paid to civil servants in the employ of Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), Abuja.

While the Centre in Zaria, Kaduna state, hosts the nation’s only nuclear reactor, the Centre in Ile-Ife hosts nuclear Tandem Accelerator in addition to nuclear waste and other dreaded sources of radiation that must be handled with care.

The management of the two high-risk centres had raised concerns over the impact of the non-payment of the deserved allowances to the morale of scientists at the two centres, who faced daily risks in managing the nation’s nuclear facilities, through a complaint letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abass Tajudeen, in January, 2024.

They also raised concerns over the danger of a possible sabotage or avoidable nuclear accident as a result of the disillusionment of staff at the two centres over poor working conditions and lack of institutional support for their programmes.

Following a motion of urgent national importance on the floor of the House, the Speaker subsequently directed the Committee on Renewable Energy to look into the challenges raised by the Centres.

The representative of the Centres, Prof. Ganiyu I. Balogun, Prof. J.F.K Akinbami, Dr. Bashir M. Umar and Dr. M.B Katif, who spoke in turns, explained the challenges of the centres and how they have been trying to manage the situation in order to avert ugly nuclear incidents that could lead to serious international embarrassment.

But Hon. Ogene, while appealing to them for calm, informed them about the efforts of the House to bring a lasting resolution to the identified challenges.

Speaking further, he informed that the Committee found merit in their petition and have therefore made some recommendations, to “direct the Budget Office of the Federation, as well as the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to restore the Allowances under review.”

The House had also directed “the Budget Office of the Federation to grant the two Centres of Excellence Financial Autonomy, by providing them with separate budget lines for effective and efficient discharge of their mandate.”

In addition, the house directed that various appeals by the Chairman/CEO, Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, made on behalf of his staff, should be approved by virtue of the sensitive nature of the jobs they undertake.”

The house subsequently queried the National Income Salaries and Wages Commission for “its negative role in the matter.”