Cocoa Institute protesting workers ask FG to remove Director.
By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan.
Workers of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Ibadan today took to the streets, protesting with placards baring various phrases, asking the Federal Government to redeploy the institute’s Executive Director, Professor Malachy Akoroda from office without further delay.
The workers during a protest which lasted for hours, blocked and padlocked the main gate leading to the Institute, chanting anti Professor Akoroda songs thereby paralyzing both research and administrative activities at the institute.
Amidst the demand for immediate sack of the Executive Director, the protesting workers carrying placards with various inscriptions, asked Federal government to act fast and remove the Executive Director before it will be too late to do so.
The protesters alleged that the Executive Director has being autocratic and insensitive to workers welfare since inception, claiming that the removal of Professor Akoroda from CRIN “by the Federal Government is the only panacea to peace and progress in the Cocoa Research Institute”
They alleged that “virtually all research activities at CRIN had been grounded since 2013 as a result of disillusionment following the insensitivity and high handedness of Professor Akoroda”.
The workers also accused the Executive Director of non-payment of their four months salaries spanning October 2013 to January 2014 and Professor Akoroda allegedly proscribed union activities at CRIN and unilaterally sacked 96 workers in 2014.
“Federal Government should as a matter of urgency, make public the report of a probe panel it set up on CRIN in 2014 and, in addition, re-deploy Professor Akoroda forthwith for peace and progress to reign at CRIN” they protested.
The embattled Executive Director could not be reached for comment as he was said to be taking refuge at the nearby Idi-Ayunre Divisional Police Station while his Personal Assistant, Mr. Bunmi Olukotun said the Executive Director would soon react appropriately to the issues.
