RMRDC Staff Fight DG ‘Seeking’ 3rd Term Amid Allegations Of Indiscriminate Promotions, Financial Recklessness

An open rebellion is brewing at the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) as the council’s Director-General, Prof. Ibrahim Hussaini Doko, unlawfully pushes for a third term in office amid allegations of nepotism and financial recklessness.

Sources within the RMRDC who confided in THE WHISTLER said Doko has used unethical tactics to maintain his grip on the organisation for the past 11 years.

These include alleged “divide and rule” strategy, indiscriminate promotion of his cronies within the RMRDC, and bribing of federal lawmakers to prevent a probe of his leadership.

THE WHISTLER was informed of how new employees regularly show up at the RMRDC with employment letters without due process as Doko is also accused of engaging in job racketeering.

“The man (Doko) is adept at bribing lawmakers and relevant organs of government to frustrate any attempt to remove him,” one source told THE WHISTLER.

According to the official, the Director-General allegedly awarded 50 job slots to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as part of efforts to perpetuate himself in office against provisions of the Raw Materials Research and Development Act, 2022, which currently limits a DG’s tenure to two five-year terms.

Doko, who was initially appointed in an acting capacity in 2013, became substantive Director-General in April 2014. While serving an initial term of four years, he allegedly lobbied for the RMRDC Act to be amended to allow a two-term limit of five years for a DG.

After his extended second term expired on April 8, 2024, Doko allegedly refused to relinquish his position, prompting outrage from staff and unions.

Meanwhile, the situation at the RMRDC came to a head when the Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), along with the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) expressed dissatisfaction with the DG’s actions in a petition.

In the strongly worded petition addressed to high-ranking government officials, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Ministers of Labour and Employment, and Innovation, Science and Technology, ASURI accused Doko of harassment, intimidation, and victimisation of its executive committee members.

The petition cited four memos containing other grievances, including lack of union representation in council committees, unpaid staff salaries and allowances, non-remittance of pension and union dues, and alleged questionable promotion of unqualified staff members.

Instead of addressing the concerns, ASURI and NASU alleged that Doko resorted to intimidation and harassment, and threatening dissenting staff members with disciplinary action if they did not withdraw their signatures from the petitions.

While some succumbed to the alleged intimidation, others stood their ground, only to be subsequently issued formal queries for “misconduct and serious misconduct.”

One of the petitions made available to THE WHISTLER mentioned instances of indiscriminate promotions, the non-remittance of pension and cooperative deductions, non-payment of annual training allowances, and the lack of transparency in the Council’s operations, among others.

It reads partly, “Acting with every sense of responsibility and in accordance with the Trade Unions Act, the EXCO of ASURI RMRDC, in collaboration with the EXCO of a sister union at RMRDC, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), had addressed four petitions as internal memoranda to the DG of RMRDC on salient issues which a more sagacious administrator could have addressed without allowing the matters to degenerate in view of their grave and embarrassing natures.

“However, the DG invited the signatories to the petitions to a joint Management/Unions meeting where instead of addressing the matters, the signatories, who are all EXCO members of the two unions, were threatened and ordered to write letters of apologies withdrawing their signatures from the petitions.

“Fearing victimization, three members — two from ASURI and one from NASU — yielded and complied.

“Making good his threat, the DG has gone ahead to issue a “Query for Misconduct and Serious Misconduct” to all signatories who did not yield to his intimidation and threat. He cited PSR 100301 and PSR 100402.

“We are unequivocal that the petitions which the EXCO members wrote were in the true spirit of acceptable trade union practice which do not fall foul of assault, refusal to take/carry out lawful instruction from superior officers, insubordination, false claims against government officials or sabotage which they are being accused of.”

Meanwhile, the Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has so far remained silent on the issue, prompting questions from RMRDC staff about his inaction.

Despite the unions declaring a trade dispute with Doko, demanding the withdrawal of the queries and asking him to address the issues raised in the petition, sources in the Council told THE WHISTLER that the situation has remained the same.

DG REACTS

THE WHISTLER contacted Professor Doko via text message for comment on the allegations but our effort to speak with him directly was unsuccessful.

However, the RMRDC Director of Corporate Services, Chukwuma Ngaha, tried to defend him, saying the DG resigned office on April 7, 2024, after the expiration of his tenure and that a director in the Council was already acting in his stead.

“They said he (Prof Doko) wanted to sit tight meanwhile the guy has gone. He’s no longer here. If you want to take over his position. Is he the one who would hand over the position to you?

“He’s not even the one acting. From official cars to everything, he has returned them. If you go outside you will see where his official car has been packed since last week.

“As far as I am concerned, I’m not aware that the DG after leaving office has come back. He left on the 7th of April and has not been seen again.

“The Director of Industrial Plant and Equipment has been acting as Director-General. Since it took the government to employ him, it would also take the government to bring a replacement.

“Their (ASURI’s) grouse is that why should the DG do five years tenure instead of four years, but is it not the government that gave him the five years.”

Asked about the allegations of nepotism and indiscriminate employment at the RMRDC, Ngaha said “I don’t think he did anything based on favouritism, it is basically on merit.

“All the people we’ve been employing, are we not lifting them out of poverty? And who said due process wasn’t followed? There were interviews, there were selection processes, then there were panels set up to evaluate performances and the selection process.”