In a strongly-worded statement released today, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), NILEST Chapter, expressed their vehement opposition to the proposed merger of the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST) with the National Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT).
The union, led by Chapter Chairman Comrade Joseph Odey Oko, said that the merger will have adverse effects on the institutions and the stakeholders involved.
ASUP applauds the government’s initiative to streamline Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions, and Agencies, as approved by the Federal Executive Council based on the Steve Oronsaye’s Report.
However, the polytechnic staff union argued that the unique mandates and achievements of NILEST warranted a reconsideration of the proposed merger.
Noting the unique mandates of each institution, ASUP restates;
“NILEST, being the only institution specialising in leather and leather product technology in sub-Saharan Africa is involved in training and capacity building; research and development; technology transfer; quality control; and environmental protection; advancing the Nigerian leather industry and contributing to economic development.”
ASUP further underscored the importance of NILEST in addressing unemployment by providing education for self-reliance, catering to both graduate and non-graduate youths in fields such as footwear, leather goods, and polymer technology.
On the other hand is NARICT, which ASUP noted, “is focused on areas of chemical technology, including chemical process development, materials science, environmental protection, renewable energy, analytical chemistry, biotechnology, nanotechnology, process optimization, and technology transfer.”
According to ASUP, the merger of these institutions, which have divergent focuses, would result in conflicting goals, cultural differences, loss of specialisation, resource allocation issues, administrative challenges, and potential dissatisfaction among stakeholders.
The union therefore urged President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and relevant authorities to reconsider the proposal and allow both institutions to continue their valuable work independently.
As the debate over the proposed merger intensifies, stakeholders eagerly await the response from government authorities and whether the concerns raised by ASUP, NILEST Chapter, will impact the fate of NILEST and NARICT.
Recall that the Federal Executive Council (FEC), after twelve years, has given the go-ahead for full implementation of aspects of the 2012 Stephen Oronsaye Report. The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris who disclosed this to the public said it was done in a bold move and consistent with the president’s courage to do what is right for Nigeria and reduce the cost of governance. Consequently, some agencies were designated to be merged, subsumed, relocated and scrapped. Here is a full list of all the affected agencies.
