Labour Studies Institute Calm After Stormy 4 Years Of Issa Aremu
The atmosphere of conviviality at the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Ilorin, was palpable when THE WHISTLER visited recently.
The institute appeared to have regained its serenity as an academic environment and centre of excellence in labour studies.
It was a far cry from the atmosphere of fear, dejection and frustration that many of the staff had complained about a few months ago.
Some of the staff who spoke to THE WHISTLER on condition of anonymity explained that the change in ambience was due to the coming on board of the Acting Director General of the institution, Ayorinde Adebolanle Ezekiel, who was the head of the institute’s Labour Management Relations Department from May 2023 up till his appointment as acting director general.
Ezekiel, a long-term career staff of the institution, is believed to have the capacity and charisma that is urgently needed to put the institution back on the right footing.
He is seen as having the right strategic leadership acumen and vision for the institute’s growth and development.
He took over from Issa Aremu after the expiration of Aremu’s 4-year tenure in May.
Although Aremu claimed his appointment had been renewed for another four years as DG, the institution has denied it.
A statement by Mrs Racheal Solomon, Head of the Public Relations Office dismissed Aremu’s assertions as “misleading” and lacking official validation from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, which oversees MINILS.
“Mr. Aremu duly completed his statutory four-year tenure on 17th May 2025 and handed over, albeit reluctantly, to the most senior Director in accordance with public service regulations. Contrary to these regulations, Mr. Aremu publicly declared he was merely ‘stepping aside’ and has since been presenting himself as the re-appointed Director-General. This is entirely inaccurate,” the institute had stated.
According to Solomon, there has been no official communication from the ministry confirming any reappointment or a directive concerning new leadership.
The labour unions of the institute have also risen against any plan to reappoint Aremu.
The unions called on President Bola Tinubu to consider the petition they submitted to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment before appointing the next director general for the institute.
In a joint 18-point petition signed by leaders of all three unions at the institute—Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI), Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU)—Aremu was accused of financial recklessness, policy ignorance, and abuse of office, among others.
But it is unclear whether the unions were able to substantiate the allegations against the former DG.
However, sources at the ministry of labour and employment said the petitions were considered “weighty” by the minister who now has a decision to make.
But Aremu was absent at the second matriculation programme for B.SC Students in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management held in the institution on 11 June, 2025.
This may be an indication that Aremu’s time may have come to an end at the institution.
This would likely be good news for staff of the institute who dread any four years under Aremu.
Labour Studies Institute Calm After Stormy 4 Years Of Issa Aremu is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
