Alleged certificate fraud: Adamant minister stops FIIRO DG’s new appointment over demoted officer
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, has asked the board of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, stop all process of appointing a substantive DG.
It was learnt that the directive was as a result of his quest to install Chima Igwe, a demoted official of FIIRO, as the agency’s director general.
Igwe was demoted over alleged certificate fraud.
The minister was said to have to stop the appointment of a substantive DG until Igwe was cleared.
The PUNCH had reported happenings at FIIRO since 2019 when Igwe was appointed the acting director general under controversial circumstances.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission had been petitioned to investigate Igwe’s doctorate, which he had used to obtained several promotions until 2019 when the attestation letter he was parading as proof of the PhD became a subject of investigation.
The ICPC later revealed that the degree was non-existence, which subsequently led to Igwe’s removal from the DG’s position and demotion by the board.
The minister, Onu, however, instructed the board to reinstate Igwe as the acting DG, a request that was rejected by the board Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Gwarzo.
Gwarzo, who was presented with the Gani Fawehinmi Integrity Award in 2020 over his role in the matter, later revealed that the minister pushed for the dissolution of the board 10 times because of its refusal to reinstate Igwe.
Our correspondent learnt that since the incident, Onu refused to recognise the present acting Director General, Yemisi Asagbra, until he was ordered to do so by the Presidency.
Several attempts by the board to begin the process of installing a substantive director-general were allegedly rebuffed by the minister.
The latest process was said to have been stalled by Onu in a letter dated May 6, 2021.
The letter, which was signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Techology, Edet Sunday Akpan, on behalf of Onu, was titled, ‘Re: Notification and Information.’
It said, “I am directed by the honourable minister to acknowledge receipt of your letter on the above subject ref. no. FGB/6.01/43 dated April 28, 2021 and inform you that the Presidency has directed that a detailed investigation be carried out by the head of civil service of the federation on the certification of Dr Chima Cartney Igwe as Director-General (FIIRO) with necessary disciplinary action, if required. Punch
