By Ishaya Ibrahim
Acting News Editor
Bola Akinterinwa, a professor and the director general (DG) of the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), had penciled down some staff for disciplinary action who ‘rebelled’ against him and demanded his sack on October 14.
He did not know that he would not stay long enough to implement his action.
On Tuesday, December 1, he was relieved of his job by Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, in the climax of the standoff with other employees who accused him of highhandedness and mismanagement of funds.
Now in Akinterinwa’s stead as acting DG is Abimbola Dada, his virulent critic who was library director at the height of the protest to get rid of him.
Aborted plan
“I will apply the rules,” Akinterinwa had insisted in an interview with TheNiche on October 15.
“First of all, I will suspend the director of administration and finance because I cannot work with her with such fraudulent disposition. It is not possible.
“Those who are demonstrating, because the strike itself is illegitimate, it is not authorised, that in itself is gross misconduct. It is summary dismissal. They should know.
“You professors are giving instructions to security people. You are the ones they are listening to. I now said okay, all these security people your job ends this weekend. I am having a new set of people as from Monday.
“There is one lady; she is one of the cooks. We have cooks because when our international guests come they provide tea, et cetera. That is what they are employed for. They are four, working in twos as team.
“This cook, I saw her demonstrating, carrying placards against me. And you are a contract employee? She must go.”
Akinterinwa spoke at the peak of the protest for his ouster.
Gathering storm
The protest was triggered by his preference for building a state of the art complex for the NIIA instead of meeting workers’ demand for welfare and funds for research.
On October 14, the staff, including professors, and research fellows, protested with placards demanding Akinterinwa’s sack.
Dada alleged at the time that “Akinterinwa has spent over N200 million on that building, 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.”
Dada said the excessive expenditure on the structure caused hardship to the staff.
“He does not have money to repair busses. 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.
“He puts all the funds in 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 for the power generator.
“On some days, we can stay here from morning till about 1pm or 2pm waiting for electricity. The only time you get respite is when there is a programme.”
Protester steps in as acting DG
Onyeama, through the ministry’s permanent secretary, directed Akinterinwa to hand over with immediate effect to the most senior officer in the NIIA who happened to be Dada, the woman who spearheaded the protest that led to his ouster, TheNiche learnt at the weekend.
Akinterinwa said those against him were disgruntled employees and board members who could not have their way with him and thus resorted to blackmail.
“They only wanted promotion, they want to steal. Even the council that is against me, it is because they were not involved in the building,” he alleged.
“I so like this development. It will give room for me to talk about how the council had been giving me different queries, reporting me to Mr. president, et cetera.
“But in my reply, I told them how they destroyed the institute, bringing me down as DG to sit down. All these people will be asking me questions, and they too will be talking.
“They belittle me. Will you stand any previous DG up and be looking to his face? I took everybody as colleagues. All of them are professors; I made them professors. The directors, I appointed them.”
One of the professors who spoke to TheNiche on Thursday, December 3 described Akinterinwa’s removal as the best thing to happen to the NIIA now.