By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) is on standstill as confusion is reigning supreme at the country’s foremost foreign policy institution.
In recent time, the foreign policy think-tank has been bedeviled by series of scandals including an allegation of certificate forgery cover-up..
This time, outgoing director-general, Professor Bukar Bukarambe, has been accused of plotting to remain in office by proxy.
TheNiche learnt that Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, has asked Bukarambe to hand over to the most senior officer of the institution, but he refused, and anointed a level 13 civil servant, Efem Ubi, as the acting director-general.
Those familiar with the NIIA and its bureaucracy insist the action of the DG is akin to making a Major in the Nigerian army the Chief of the Army Staff and expect the Generals to give him a salute.
Sources at the NIIA said Bukarambe was just doing the bidding of the governing council as they are the ones who actually wanted somebody pliable as the acting DG.
“Somebody who will agree to whatever demand they make, especially as it concerns to monetary disbursement,” a source said.
Members of the NIIA governing council are by law prohibited from interfering in the internal affairs of the institution. But on May 27, TheNiche obtained a video recording in which a member of the council, Bunmi Obakoya, stormed the premises of the institution to compel the staff to accept the appointment of Efem Ubi as the acting DG.
“We don’t have two acting DG’s here, we have just one. And Bukar is the right person to do the hand over. That is what I have been fighting for. The letter was addressed to Bukar not Udo,” Obakoya said when her attention was drawn to the minister’s instruction that the most senior staffer of the NIIA should be the acting DG.
She continued: “So everybody takes instruction from Efem. The chairman has congratulated him. All the board members have congratulated him. I’ve collected my own letter too from the former DG,” she said.
In another recording, Obakoya threatened someone she described as Madam NIIA against locking out the former DG from the NIIA premises.
“Madam NIIA, I learned you want to lock Bukar (outgoing DG) out on Wednesday. Don’t worry, I’ll be there live. Lock him out and let me see. You are chewing what you can’t bite,” she said.
Those pulling the strings
Professor Bola Akinterinwa was the former DG who handed over to Bukarambe. TheNiche gathered that five years after he left office, he has refused to let go of his official quarters. He locked it up, while his successor could not do anything about it because he owes his appointment as DG to him.
Our source said Akinterinwa is again trying to install Efem Ubi as acting DG so as to continue having his way in the institution.
Akinterinwa may also be using the situation to get at those who opposed his leadership style while he was the DG.
When he was DG, TheNiche had reported that staff of the institution openly protested against his style of running the institution.
“Akinterinwa has spent over N200 million on that building (office complex), which means he has diverted funds from the library. We haven’t bought books in the library in the past four years. He has diverted funds from research. He has diverted funds from training. He has diverted funds from general maintenance.
“He does not have money to repair buses. He has no money to buy materials for the cleaning of toilets. The ladies toilet is the only one working, and when we have a programme here, the place is horrible.
“All the funds he puts on his illegal structure which he does not have approval for. He diverts funds from legitimate objectives. If you go to the library, the computers are not working. There is no internet. There is no money to buy diesel. On some days, we can stay here from morning till about 1pm or 2 pm waiting for electricity. The only time you get respite is when there is a programme,” the director of Library at the time told TheNiche.
But Akinterinwa had punched back then when he told TheNiche: “First of all, I will suspend the director of administration and finance because I cannot work with her. In public service regulation, when you are a director as a management employee, you don’t engage in strike. That one in itself is gross misconduct, it is summary dismissal. They should know.
“When you are going on strike, you tell your DG. You declare your trade dispute. Then your DG knows. But this one is not organised by any union. It is just some people coming together. Professors are giving instructions to security people. They are the ones they are listening to. I now say, okay, all these security people your job ends this weekend. Am having a new set of people from Monday (October 19, 2015),” Akinterinwa had said.
While the House of Representatives has announced on May 23 that it would probe the tenure of Akinterinwa as DG of NIIA, Nigerians are also expecting Onyeama to call the power mongers in the NIIA to order.
