FIIRO: President Buhari Makes Fresh Appointment

A substantive Director-General and Chief Executive Officer has been appointed for the Federal Institute of Industrial Research (FIIRO), Oshodi Lagos in the person of Dr Adamu Tutuwa.

The appointment as approved by President Muhammadu Buhari was contained in a statement on Friday in Lagos by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Mrs Monilola Udoh.

Tutuwa has been appointed as the DG of FIIRO for a five-year non-renewable tenure.

The fresh appointment brings to an end, years of leadership tussle in the federal research institute.

Naija News understands until her latest appointment, Dr. Tutuwa was the Director of the Biotechnology Centre of the National Biotechnology Development Agency in Jalingo, Taraba State.

She is expected to use her knowledge and experience to boost the research activities at FIIRO.

“With her core competence in biotechnology and her affiliation to scientific donor agencies, hopes are high that her new constituency will benefit therein,” the statement said.

Her appointment takes effect from May 10, 2022.

Naija News recalls FIIRO has been embroiled in a leadership tussle between the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu and the management board of the research agency led by Alhaji Ibrahim Gwarzo.

The tussle involves the appointment of Chima Igwe as the FIIRO DG who was later discovered after protests from staff members to have used a fake PhD result to gain promotion and was subsequently removed from the position and demoted to a Chief Research Officer.

Onu however mounted pressure for Igwe to be returned to the post, including writing a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on the matter.

The Minister’s request was however turned down by the President after an investigation carried out by the Office of the Federal Head of Service confirmed Igwe used a fake result.

The Presidency also ordered the Minister to allow the board function without interference but the Minister controversially sacked the entire board and replaced them with his own loyalists.

Following an indictment by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, Igwe is currently standing trial at the Ikeja High Court.