Get Guardian on GoogleThe Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) has denied reports of an internal crisis following the retirement of three research directors, insisting that its management and staff remain united and that the controversy has not disrupted the Institute’s operations.
NIMR said all members of staff, including researchers, remained at work performing their official duties, while the management continued to discharge its mandate of advancing medical research and improving public health in Nigeria.
The denial comes amid public discussions over the implementation of the Federal Government’s eight-year tenure policy for directors and vacation notices subsequently issued to the affected former directors, following allegations by the National Secretary of the Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku.
In a statement signed by its Media Consultant, Sam Eferaro, NIMR said the retirement of the three directors resulted from a Federal Government directive and was not a personal decision of its Director-General, Prof. John Oladapo Obafunwa.
It explained that the policy was neither formulated by the Institute nor independently introduced by its management, adding that two separate directives were transmitted through the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation on February 10, 2026, and the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, on February 16, 2026.
According to the Institute, the affected officers were provided with copies of the relevant instructions, stressing that as a Federal Government research institution, it was obligated to comply with applicable government policies.
The NIMR, while explaining the vacation notices issued to the former directors, rejected allegations of victimisation, saying that their continued occupation of the Institute’s residential accommodation was a separate administrative matter involving government property.
It said that its housing policy guidelines, amended in 2023 by the Institute’s housing committee, allow retiring members of staff occupying official accommodation to remain there for a maximum of three months with pay, after which the Works and Maintenance Department is expected to recover the property.
The management noted that the guidelines predated the administration of the current Director-General, adding that the committee responsible for the 2023 amendment was chaired by one of the directors subsequently affected by the eight-year tenure policy.
It further claimed that the former directors had remained in the accommodation beyond the period stipulated in the guidelines, insisting that enforcing approved administrative procedures should not be interpreted as a personal vendetta.
While acknowledging the right of workers and their unions to pursue legitimate grievances,
NIMR, while acknowledging the right of workers and their unions to pursue legitimate grievances, said it had a responsibility to implement government directives and protect public property.
The Institute also criticised Ndubuaku’s handling of the controversy, describing his persistent allegations and media engagements as unbecoming of a responsible union leader.
It accused him of promoting what it characterised as falsehoods, character assassination, intimidation and blackmail rather than engaging constructively with relevant government authorities.
NIMR also urged media organisations to exercise greater diligence in reporting the matter, recommending that journalists seek clarification from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare or the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health.
The Institute, which reaffirmed its commitment to medical research and public health improvement, said it would not allow the controversy to distract it from its statutory responsibilities, adding that it would provide further clarification through appropriate channels if necessary.
