United Patriots Seek Justice For NIFOR Host Communities

United Patriots Seek Justice For NIFOR Host Communities

A PETITION TO THE RT. HONORABLE SPEAKER, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THROUGH HON. CHIEF BILLY OSAWARU (THE MEMBER REPRESENTING ORHIONMWON/ UHUNMWONDE FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY ON THE PROFOUND NEED TO STOP THE FEDERAL MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY FROM FUELING HOSTCOMMUNITY CRISIS AND UNDER-DEVELOPING THE NIGERIAN INSTITUTE FOR OIL PALM RESEARCH BY THE COALITION OF NIFOR HOST COMMUNITIES ORGANIZATIONS.22ND SEPTEMBER, 2023.

The Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) is a Federal Parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. The Institute occupies about 1,600 hectares of land and is surrounded by more than seventeen communities of natives and additional fifteen communities in the catchment area.

NIFOR was established in the year 1939 and clocked 84 years this year 2023. During this 84 years period, our son has only been Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer once. The Institute and its supervisory ministry have systematically excluded the Benins from the line of headship of the Institute overtime. This systemic exclusion has taken place under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security as they are now called. We have tolerated these unprovoked exclusivity against our people because of our indulgence for peace and mutual co-existence which we are aware does not happen in other localities where NIFOR has their substations. At the moment, NIFOR Abak, Akwa Ibom State is closed and the place sacked by the natives for similar discrimination against landowners. We have accommodated the antics of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for too long.

In the year 2017, our son; Dr. Napoleon Aisueni was appointed as Acting Executive Director just before retirement and was told to retire and re-apply to comply with existing regulations on tenure completion at the FMARD. He retired and re-applied and was appointed as Director/Chief Executive Officer for 5years. The Minister (Chief Audu Ogbeh) as at that time withdrew the appointment within one week on grounds that the appointment was made in error. Dr. Napoleon Aisueni sought redress in the law court which was a civilized thing to do and waited for one year (2018) before the court gave judgment in his favor to the effect that his appointment was proper and should be allowed to run his tenure. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2018 immediately appealed the judgment and did not allow the status quo to be observed – in a clandestine move to perpetually insult our people’s sensibilities. The Ministry appointed Dr. Celestine Ikuenobe as acting Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer (from Edo central senatorial district) and we expected that he was to remain in that position until the judgment of the Court of Appeal is decided. Unknowing to us, Dr. Celestine Ikuenobe was secretly appointed as substantive Director/Chief Executive Officer of NIFOR when he was 62years old. According to the guidelines of the administration of Research Institutes and the Scheme of Service, the maximum age to occupy the substantive position of Chief Executive Officer of Research Institute is 60years. Beyond that age, no individual is qualified to apply to such vacancies. Two copies of the letter of appointment were issued and supposed to be collected by the Head of Administration of the Institute; who was a Benin (Edo south senatorial district) Man at the time (Dr. Smart Osaremwinda) but Dr. Ikuenobe collected the two letters and did not circulate his appointment for fear that his appointment amounts to contempt of court against the Honorable Minister for Agriculture.

The culture of the Institute has been that the letters of appointment of a Chief Executive officer are received by the Head of Administration from the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria. One of the two copies is given to the beneficiary while the second copy was filed and used to issue a circular. This was breached by Dr. Celestine Ikuenobe which is an indication that his appointment was illegitimate, but was successfully crafted and supported by a cabal in the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN). The ARCN knew that the position of Chief Executive of NIFOR was subjudice but in their best judgment they preferred to commit contempt of court rather than renew the acting position of Dr. Celestine Ikuenobe until the case in appeal Court is decided. The appeal court case was kept active for 5years (2017-2023) and still running in order to achieve a premeditated conspiracy against the Benin people of Edo South senatorial district.

The communities were already agitated by the delay and were planning to send a representation to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria when an advert declaring the vacancy of NIFOR Chief Executive Officer was made in August 2023. This advert was made at a time when Honorable Ministers were yet to be appointed. We enquired and learnt that the Honorable Minister was supposed to give approval for such adverts in Parastatals under his Ministry. This is because if there are legal issues as in this case, the Minister will be held liable and cannot be by proxy. This indicated to us that a cabal of very devious individuals and groups in the Ministry were prepared to undermine the court case and proceed as usual. Prior to this time, they were secretly and illegitimately issuing letters of substantive appointment to individuals but his year, emboldened by our indisposition to a total shut down of the Institute, they decided to publish it in the newspapers. This action of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture is capable of setting the entire area on fire as all the seventeen communities unequivocally supported the appointment of Dr. Napoleon Aisueni whose case is still pending in Court. We are anxiously waiting for the appeal court outcome and until then, the CEO position of NIFOR should not be advertised as there is presently no vacancy in that position. Those charged with executive arm of Government should be responsible enough to obey the law, and not arbitrarily break the laws of our country.

Even though the Federal Ministry of Agriculture may have ‘grey’ reasons for not appointing Dr. Napoleon Aisueni, but since they have made the mistake, they should wait for the court to vacate the case before spitting on the faces of all those that have patiently waited for 5 years to see the outcome of the case. Ideally, the Ministry should continue to appoint Chief Executive Officers in acting capacity until the appealed case is decided. We have been taken for granted too long and the crass exclusion of the Benins from clinching the Chief Executive position of the NIFOR must stop forthwith, else, we may be compelled to seek help, including processions by our youths to NIFOR and to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food security. Our population has increased over 500% since 1,600 hectares of our land was taken for the Institute in 1939 and we no longer have land for farming our regular crops such as cassava and maize which are major tools of food security in our local communities and rural areas. Why should we suffer in hunger and make all the sacrifices if our qualified sons and daughters are mischievously excluded from the leadership of the Institute? God and our ancestors forbid our continuous tolerance of this socio-cultural contempt enemies of Benin nation.

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security should explain why a man of 62years should be appointed into a position that the law states the minimum requirement is 60years?

Secondly, the Federal Ministry of agriculture and food should explain how they managed to make an appointment, cancelled it and yet the appointment was upheld by a competent court of law in Nigeria? If the appointment was legitimate, they should own up to their structural weakness and do the needful.

Thirdly, why should an appointment be made into a position that is subjudice by Government Agencies governed by supposedly learned individuals?

Fourthly, why should Dr. Celestine Ikuenobe; a Public Officer continue in office against the Public Service Rule section 120243 that makes it mandatory for all Public Officers to proceed on a three month pre-retirement leave before the final retirement date. His pre-retirement leave was due on September 2, 2023 as he is due to retire on December 2nd, 2023 and yet the ARCN; the supervisory Agency of Government is playing the ostrich. If it were our sons, they would have been removed 200 days to retirement. Is it a crime to be accommodating and civil in Nigeria?

The Federal Government should consider relocating the Palms to a different location if they want to continue playing their anti-host communities tendencies with us, because, our patience has been overstretched.

We will resist every attempt by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to undermine the on-going appeal court case. As well as a Benin-phorbic scheme of crass exclusion of exceedingly qualified Benin professionals from the headship of the Institute.

We hereby call on the National Assembly to as a matter of urgency wade into palpable threat to host community security, as well as lives and properties of law abiding citizens by:

1. Direct the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to respect the rule of law and cancel the advertisement until the appealed court case is decided.

2. Direct Dr. Celestine Ikuenobe to proceed on Pre-retirement leave effective September 2, 2023.

3. Direct the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to as a matter of urgency withdraw all substantive appointments of Director/ Chief Executive Officers made during the court case (2017-date) as they are illegitimate and contempt of court since that position is subjudice.

4. Direct the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to be conscious of Safety of lives and properties in the locations of their Parastatals and not allow selfish interest to set their locations ablaze.

5. Direct the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to withdraw the case from the court if they cannot continue and arrange an out-of-court settlement with Dr. Napoleon Aisueni because the mistake has been made and they should swallow their bitter pills. Waiting for Dr Napoleon Aisueni to die so the case can close naturally is a poor management strategy.

6. Preference should be given to competent contractors from the host communities to benefit from contracts awarded by the Institute as reparation for the hardship caused by the occupation of their land by NIFOR.

For and on-behalf of the seventeen host communities:

Benin National Congress worldwide – Maxwell Uwuilekhue – Secretary General

Talakawa Parliament – Comrade Marxist Kola Edokpayi – The Leader

Benin Development Union – Mr. Raymond Evbuomwan –Secretary General

Amb. Aiyamenkhue Edokpolo fcdm – National Facilitator, UPAN

CC:

His Royal Majesty, Omo N’ Oba N’ Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuarre II, the Oba of Benin, thro, the Secretary, Benin Traditional Council, Oba’s Palace, Benin City.

All House of Representative Members from Edo South Senatorial District