Union embarks on indefinite strike over NBTI DG’s reappointment

Staff of the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI), under the aegis of Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), has embarked on an indefinite strike over the reappointment of the Director General /CEO of the Board, Engr. Jubril Mohammed for a second term of four years.

The union alleged that the Director General has embezzled funds meant for capital projects and other recurrent allocations to the agency.

Chairman of the union, Comrade Adolphus Agwu, made the allegations during a press briefing at the NBTI office in Abuja.

Agwu also accused the minister of Science and Technology of misleading Mr President on reappointment of the DG despite numerous petitions written against the Mohammed for non performance and derailing the agency.

He did not disclose the amount of money allegedly embezzled by the NBTI boss, but they alleged that he siphoned funds meant for capital projects and other recurrent allocations released to the Board in the last three years.

The union said that NBTI operates in a rented building and the director general has not paid for the rent since 2015 despite the allocations the board received.

The union leaders said, “we’re on indefinite strike and the offices are under lock and key because our director general who has been on the saddle for the past four years, did not perform well, and he has been reappointed for a second term in office and that is why we the staff members are saying no to his reappointment.

“In the last four years, when Engr. Dr Jubril serves as DG of the agency, it has been a hell. The agency has been eroded, dormant and a liability to the federal government due to lack of adherent to the mandate that established it.

The infrastructure have decayed, no working tools, no official working materials, we just come here every day without anything doing. It has not been this bad.

“We have 34 incubation centres across the federation where we nurture inventors, and develop researches but as we speak, the story is that of a sorry state. This is a programme that is meant to create job to teaming unemployed graduates, and end poverty in the country.

“Our fear is that if this thing is allowed to continue, the federal government will wake up one day and shutdown the agency and the entire staff may lose their jobs; these are the grievances of the staff.

We believe that President Buhari was not rightly advised on the performance of the agency especially under the leadership of Engr. Jubril.

We are pleading that Mr President should kindly reverse the appointment of the DG, and appoint a more competent person that will transform the agency in line with its established mandate.”

Also speaking, the Financial Secretary of the union, Grace Umar said that the staff were shocked that Engr Jubril mohammed was reappointed as DG of the same board he ruined.

She said, “Prior to his reappointment, we met with the Minister of Science and technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu to register our complaints and grievances on the non-performance of the DG long before the expiration of his tenure and the minister assured us that they were going to look into the allegations.

“But it was shocking to see that the same minister must have been the one that had recommended the former DG for reappointment because the minister is the eye of the president in the ministry. The minister is giving us room to think if he has been compromised.

If President Muhammdu Buhari is a fighter of corruption, we don’t expect the same man to be reappointed based on the allegations and petitions we wrote to him. Engr Jubril Mohammed should have been investigated for misappropriation of funds allocated to the agency.”

All attempts to reach the director general through text messages and telephone calls were unsuccessful.