Aggrieved workers of the Micheal Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies, MINILS, Ilorin, on Thursday protested against the Director General of the institute, Comrade Issac Aremu.
Reports said police operatives made unsuccessful attempts to stop the protest at the George Agbazika Innih Stadium, Ilorin, during the May Day celebration.
The protesting workers, clad in red T-shirts bearing the institute’s logo, carried placards accusing the director general of mismanagement, insensitivity and abuse of office.
Eyewitnesses said the police intercepted the protesters as they approached the Rashidi Yekini Main Bowl of the stadium, blocking their path and preventing them from accessing the main seating area.
The officers reportedly claimed the protest could disrupt the Workers’ Day proceedings.
Unwilling to back down, the workers stood their ground, arguing that the celebration was meant to amplify workers’ voices. The standoff was eventually diffused after Comrade Ganiyu Balogun, Vice Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Kwara State chapter, intervened.
Balogun appealed to the police to let the protesters into the venue and promised the aggrieved staff that they would be given an opportunity to voice their grievances during the ceremonial march-past.
The protesters accused Aremu, a veteran labour activist, of a litany of infractions.
According to them, staff development has ground to a halt under his leadership, with no meaningful training or capacity-building initiatives.
They also alleged that institute’s vehicles and funds are being diverted for personal and family use, including overseas trips.
Further accusations levelled against the director general include maintaining a lavish lifestyle, complete with convoys and escorts despite the institute’s deteriorating infrastructure.
They alleged that hostels and training facilities in the institute are in disrepair, eroding the institute’s effectiveness as a labour training hub.
Comrade Balogun noted that the TUC had been engaging with the institute’s management over the past ten days regarding the workers’ concerns.
“We expected them to inform us of the planned protest, which they didn’t,”; he added.
The Director General, Aremu, could not be reached for his reaction as at the time of filing this report.
