From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI) has commended the efforts and performance of the Director General/CEO of Federal Institute for Industrial Research (FIIRO), Oshodi, Lagos, Dr Jummai Tutuwa, also passing a vote of confidence in her capacity to uplift the institution to greater standards.
Addressing the media t a press conference in Abuja, Secretary General of ASURI Prof Theophilus Ndubuaku described her appointment as a God-send because of how she has touched the lives of Staff, Management, and affairs of the institute.
Ndubuaku said that by using her administrative acumen, she has resolved all the controversies surrounding the 2021 promotion exercise, and its implementation which was released by the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (FMSTI) adding that “In the same vein, the 2022 and 2023 promotion exercises were dusted while only the results of the 2023 exercise are being awaited, and we have no reason to doubt that it will be positive without issues.”
He said that under her watch, payment has been made to provide complete internet services at all FIIRO offices nationwide.
He noted that by her background as a Research and Development-oriented person, massive funding of research projects has attracted the attention of the Chief Executive such that at FIIRO, it is a new lease of life for Research Fellows, adding that it promises to get better under her watch.
He said, “Her tenure has witnessed the payment of outstanding promotion arrears, which piled up from the 2018, 2019, and 2020 promotion years. All of these have been cleared under the watch of Dr. (Mrs.) Tutuwa, as promised during her maiden meeting with staff.
“The exciting thing about the leadership of Dr Mrs Tutuwa is that her good works are felt at FIIRO offices across the country as evident in the construction of Skill Acquisition Centre at the Agbor office in Delta State, acquisition of a transformer and renovation of the building at South-West Zonal Office, Owode; completion and equipping of cassava processing plant in Nasarawa State; as well as the development of research laboratories/workshop in Langtang, among others.
“It is pleasing to report that within 19 months of being in the saddle as the Chief Executive of FIIRO, Dr. (Mrs) Jummai A Tutuwa has performed excellently, such that the local branch of ASURI has passed a vote of confidence in her leadership.”
He explained that as part of its advocacy for the enthronement of sanity in the Research and Development Institutes (RDIs) sector, the leadership of ASURI initiated the process of assessing the Research Institutes and Agencies within its jurisdictional scope by sending delegates to monitor and observe developments.
Saying that in line with this, the Visitation Committee to the Federal Institute of Industrial Research at Oshodi, Lagos, did an on-the-spot assessment of developments at the agency and interacted with the ASURI Branch EXCO and members at FIIRO and the vibes emanating from FIIRO has been positive, posting results that make the stakeholders happy.
He added that upon assumption of office, the Director General has undertaken diverse but positive initiatives ranging from her accomplishments to those currently in progress.
“It is worthy of note that upon assumption of office, the DG fought doggedly and ensured that the Act establishing FIIRO was passed into law in less than a year of implementing its process from the National Assembly to the final ascent by Mr. President.
“Dr Mrs Tutuwa took a bold step in the repositioning and restoration of FIIROs position as a frontline research institute in Nigeria to the extent that FIIRO was awarded the first position at the Science, Technology, and Innovation Expo 2023,” he further explained.
Listing out the achievements carried out in her tenure, he also said that she has repositioned and restored the FIIRO Website, which now meets international standards and aligns with the Federal Governments guidelines for Government websites as well as ensuring the optimisation of project management at FIIRO.