The crisis at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) has deepened as senior research professors and fellows face possible premature retirement after being issued retirement notices for serving more than eight years as directors.

The dispute centres on the Federal Government’s eight-year tenure policy for directors in the Federal Public Service. NIMR Director-General, Prof. John Obafunwa, moved to apply the policy to directors within the institute’s academic and research cadre.

However, the Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI) argues that the policy should not apply to career researchers and professors appointed under the Research/Academic Cadre.

ASURI cited a November 29, 2014 clarification by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, which stated that research and academic staff who meet the required career advancement conditions, including publication requirements, could remain in service until age 65, notwithstanding the eight-year tenure policy.

The union therefore maintains that applying the eight-year rule to these researchers amounts to a premature termination of their careers and could negatively affect Nigeria’s medical research capacity.

The controversy has raised concerns about the potential loss of experienced scientists whose expertise is considered important to ongoing research programmes and the training of younger researchers.

The situation has also created uncertainty among NIMR’s senior research staff, with the dispute now centred on how the Federal Government’s tenure policy should be interpreted in relation to the specific career structure governing research institutions.