NIMR crisis deepens as research professors face premature retirement

By Ishola Balogun
At the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), the corridors once alive with the hum of discovery now echo with uncertainty. Professors and Research Fellows—men and women who have dedicated decades to probing Nigeria’s most pressing health challenges—find themselves staring at eviction notices and premature retirement letters. Their crime?  Serving more than eight years as Directors in a system where tenure rules were never meant to apply to them.
The dispute stems from the Federal Government’s policy providing for eight-year tenure for Directors in the Federal Public Service.  Prof. John Obafunwa, Director-General of NIMR, moved to enforce the Federal Governm...