President Buhari To Unveil Institute’s Strategic Plan on its anniversary
By Tunde Akanbi, Ilorin
Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, is to unveil the first strategic plan of the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Ilorin, Kwara State, North Central Nigeria in the last quarter of this year as part of activities marking the 40th anniversary of the institute.
The Director- General of MINILS, Comrade Issa Aremu disclosed this in Ilorin on Saturday at a news conference heralding programmes lined up for the institute’s anniversary. See below:
Aremu noted that though the institute would clock 40 years in 2023, the management deemed it fit to earmark activities for the next one year to be able to showcase the success stories of the institute on industrial union matters.
Noting that MINILS is part of the success story of Nigeria as a country, the Director General who is the first unionist Comrade to be appointed to head the institute said it is remarkable that the country remains one united nation 61 years after gaining independence from the colonial master.
“For nation building, it is remarkable that Nigeria is still a united nation today because so many African countries that secured independence almost the same period like us had been broken while some are in tatters. Somalia and Sudan are examples of the African countries that have broken up, ” Aremu said.
He, therefore, urged Nigerian journalists to celebrate the nation’s success stories and exhibit patriotism in while reporting the challenges facing the country.
Aremu disclosed that in celebrating the anniversary, MINILS would remodel the gallery of Pa Michael Imoudu, foremost labour leader who the institute was named after; and institute annual lecture in his honour to bring to fore his contributions to national development and in deepening democracy in Africa.
According to him, the objective of the planned celebration is to keep the institute memory alive, take stock of the progress made so far, assess how the institute has fulfilled it’s mandate, set agendas in the next decade and bring together the critical stakeholders and as well as accord recognition to deserving partners through honours and awards.
He said the institute also intends to endow Imoudu scholarship for unionists that would be studying industrial relations in the institute while Journalists would also be awarded scholarship to acquire diploma certificate in labour reportage so as to be more abreast in coverage of labour activities.
He added that projects such as administrative block and hostels will be commissioned during the anniversary.
Rolling out the achievements of the institute, Comrade Aremu said in specific terms, the institute has cultivated a new knowledge of networks with international and national agencies which they have deployed to facilitate international training programmes for workers as over fourty thousand Nigerians from different sectors have benefited from one training or the other.
He announced that the institute has been affiliated with the University of Ilorin to embark on a degree programme.
VON observed that since the institute was established over three decades ago, the founders anniversary has never been celebrated.
In his remarks at the event, the Special Adviser to the Kwara State Governor on Labour matters, Comrade Abdulmumeen Onagun commended the Director General of the institute for his modest achievements within the shortest time he assumed office.
Ime N