Petition Against FIIRO DG Dismissed, Reason Emerges

• Five FIIRO directors jointly rejected a petition calling on President Bola Tinubu to investigate the institute's leadership under DG Jummai Adamu Tutuwa
• The petition, submitted by anonymous 'Concerned Stakeholders', accused FIIRO of institutional decline, poor research output and administrative failures
• The directors pointed to solar installations, functional pilot plants, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation research and new legislation as evidence of progress

Five directors of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) have jointly rejected a petition that urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to set up an investigative panel into the running of the institute under its Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Jummai Adamu Tutuwa.

The joint statement was signed by Dr Ahmed Aroke, Mr Timothy Ajayi, Engr. Dr Livinus Onu, Ms K. O. Unuigbe and Mr Charles Ibe, each representing different directorates within the institute, and issued on Wednesday.

The petition, dated October 24, 2026 and published by Sahara Reporters, was submitted by a group calling itself "Concerned Stakeholders at FIIRO," whose members chose to remain anonymous, citing fears of litigation. It called on the presidency to examine FIIRO's infrastructure, research output, financial management and governance from May 10, 2022, to date, and raised concerns about electricity and water supply, digital infrastructure and the use of scientific personnel.

Directors defend FIIRO's infrastructure record

On electricity, the directors said Tutuwa met an outstanding debt of N25 million owed to Eko Electricity Distribution Company when she took office in May 2022, and that she settled it promptly. The institute subsequently installed solar power systems at the Koleosho Laboratory Complex, the ICT Unit, the three-storey library complex and the administrative block. The directors said FIIRO now receives between 18 and 24 hours of electricity daily and pays an average monthly bill of N1.5 million, with a 60KVA generator dedicated to water pumping.

On laboratory use, the directors pointed to a delegation from the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology that toured FIIRO's facilities on August 19, 2026, alongside journalists, and reported no abandoned laboratories or pilot plants.

Research milestones cited under Tutuwa

The directors listed several active research projects across five technical departments, including biodegradable packaging using cassava peels, food-processing machinery made with food-grade stainless steel, and nutrition research involving functional foods for malnourished populations.

They also disclosed that FIIRO recently completed a project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on micronutrient stability in bouillon used in Nigerian dishes, and is currently working with the Sight and Life Foundation on nutrition bread and multigrain pap.

The directors also highlighted the passage of the FIIRO Establishment Act, signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari in May 2023, describing it as a milestone the institute had failed to achieve during the Eighth National Assembly in 2018.

On staff welfare, they said promotion arrears for 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023 had been paid, along with outstanding repatriation fees and death benefits owed to retired and deceased staff members.

The directors urged Tinubu and the public to treat the petition cautiously until its claims were backed by evidence, and called on media organisations to verify allegations before reporting on them.