Staff members shut down Labour Institute over DG’s reappointment

Workers at the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Ilorin, Kwara State, shut down the institute on Tuesday over the reappointment of Comrade Issa Aremu as the institute’s Director-General.

Acting under the aegis of three major unions, they insisted that the reappointment ignored multiple petitions alleging financial misconduct, abuse of office, and poor leadership during Aremu’s first tenure.

They grounded activities at the institute’s Ganmo campus, alleging irregularities in the DG’s appointment letter.

According to them, the letter was routed through the Office of the Minister of Labour instead of the statutory Minister of State for Labour (Labour II), under whom the institute falls.

They alleged that the action sidestepped a negative report from that office, saying, “Aremu’s return signals disregard for due process and staff welfare.”

The workers accused Aremu of personalising MINILS, citing 18 unresolved allegations, including financial impropriety, absentee leadership, and diversion of public funds.

They claimed that he had failed to produce audited financial statements in the last three years.

They also accused Aremu of verbal abuse, bullying, and sidelining staff members in decision-making.

The protesting staff members urged President Bola Tinubu and the Ministry of Labour to immediately reverse Aremu’s reappointment and appoint a more qualified candidate familiar with the institute’s mandate.

A report by THE GUARDIAN said efforts to get an official response from the institute management failed, as most senior staff members were reportedly locked out of the premises and unwilling to comment.