Absence of substantive Directors bane to development of research institutes.
FROM SAMSON ALFA,MINNA
Federal Ministry of Agriculture and food security have been accused of using Research institutes as a conduit pipe negating the growth and development of it’s establishment.
Speaking in an interview in Bida a retired Director of Agriculture, Niger state Ministry,Alh Abdullahi Mohamed lamented the delapidated facilities of research institutes in Nigeria saying the research institutes have lost it’s importance.
He pointed out that the backwardness of research institutes in the country can be attributed as politically motivated by the supervising ministry through constant appointment of acting chief Executives for a prolong period of time.
Former Director stated that such institutes like National cereal research institute Badegi in Niger state with acting chief Executive for over a year ought to have substantive Director appointed without delay to enhance service delivery to rural communities.
“It has shown that 90 percent of acting Chief Executives in Nigeria does not perform up to expectations due to the fact they spent most of their time to be scheming to be retained as chief Executive or be confirmed as substantive chief Executive”
According to Alhaji Abdullahi it is a delibrate attempt to withhold the interviews and aptitude test conducted for almost a year without appointing a substantive Director of the National cereal research institute Badegi making it as a conduit pipe.
Retired Director further explained that National cereal research institute Badegi is a foremost research institute initially established in Lagos during the colonial era as Botanical Garden and was moved to Ibadan in 1954, until in 1984 the headquarters was moved to Badegi in Niger state.
According to him since the institute was moved to Niger state it has ten outstations in the six geo- agro ecological zone of the country with a National mandate for genetic improvement for the productions of Rice, Sugarcane,Acha, and Soyabean.
He was optimistic that institute like Badegi cereals research is supposed to be one of the best performing research institute in the country but has rather become non productive with agitations from the host communities, while the Ag C EO shuttle to remain in office.
Also Speaking in a telephone interview the acting Director, National cereal research institute Badegi, Dr Emmanuel Abo, attributed the non performance of research institutes in the country to the non release of funds and the inability to implement the budgetary allocation.
