NITR blames funding delays for slowed research

The Joint Unions of the Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis Research have attributed the slowed pace of research activities at the institute to delays in the release of capital funds, while dismissing claims that over 900 staff members are idle as “false and malicious.”

The unions stated this on Thursday during a press conference held at the institute’s headquarters in Ungwan-Rimi, Kaduna, where they also faulted a recent newspaper report (not PUNCH Online) alleging staff intimidation, financial misappropriation, irregular recruitment, and mass redundancy.

Speaking on behalf of the unions, the Joint Chairman, Dr Umar Musa, said the publication failed to present a balanced account, noting that the institute was not contacted for its response before the report was published.

“The report is one-sided and was published without seeking the institute’s response for validation. This contradicts the ethics of journalism,” he said.

Musa explained that while there had been a noticeable slowdown in some field and capital-intensive research projects, this was largely due to delayed releases of funds from the Federal Government in the 2025 fiscal cycle.

“It is worth noting that there has been a significant delay in the release of capital funds required for the implementation of approved projects, including field research. This has invariably affected the scale and pace of research activities,” he said.

Despite the funding constraints, he maintained that the staff of the institute had remained productive and committed to their duties.

“Staff have continued to demonstrate professionalism by supporting donor-funded and collaborative research initiatives, maintaining essential institutional functions, and safeguarding the institute’s core mandate,” Musa added.

He stressed that the claim that over 900 staff had abandoned their duties was “a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of the institute.”

Reacting to allegations of financial misappropriation involving the institute’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr J.J. Ajakaiye, the unions said the matter was already under investigation by anti-graft agencies.

“The allegations are currently before the ICPC and the EFCC. No one should interfere with or pronounce guilt on a matter that is under investigation,” Musa said.

On the reported intimidation of a senior staff member by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the unions clarified that the officer in question had been officially redeployed to the North-East Zonal Office in Gombe.

“The officer was deployed via a letter dated March 4, 2026, in line with Public Service Rules, and has since handed over. Her presence in Kaduna is only to attend to a case at the ICPC at the agency’s request,” he said.

The unions also refuted claims of irregular recruitment, insisting that no such exercise had been carried out.

“It is too early in the year to determine staff replacements or process waivers. Our focus remains on research and development, not recruitment as insinuated,” Musa stated.

He reaffirmed the institute’s commitment to ongoing research into neglected tropical diseases such as sleeping sickness and river blindness, noting that field activities were ongoing in states including Bauchi, Ondo, Bayelsa, and Gombe.

The controversy followed a report published on April 16, 2026 (not The PUNCH), which alleged widespread administrative and operational lapses at the institute, including claims of staff intimidation by security operatives, financial mismanagement, irregular recruitment practices, and mass absenteeism.

The Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis Research, a Federal Government research agency headquartered in Kaduna, is mandated to conduct research into trypanosomiasis—commonly known as sleeping sickness—as well as other vector-borne diseases such as river blindness.

Over the years, the institute has played a key role in disease surveillance, vector control, and field research across endemic states, often in collaboration with international partners and donor agencies.

However, like many public research institutions in the country, NITR has faced recurring challenges linked to funding constraints, particularly delays in the release of capital allocations needed for large-scale field operations and laboratory upgrades.

These challenges, stakeholders say, have occasionally affected the pace of research implementation, though core activities are often sustained through donor-funded programmes and inter-agency collaborations.

The unions, therefore, called on the public to disregard what they described as misleading reports and urged the media to uphold professional standards by ensuring balanced and verified reporting.