ASURI Petitions FG, Seeks Removal of ASCON DG Over Alleged Abuse Of Office
The Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI) has declared a formal trade dispute with the Director-General of the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Dr. (Mrs) Funke Adepoju, over alleged gross misconduct, abuse of office, and incompetence in the management of the institution.
In a petition addressed to the Minister of Labour and Employment, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, and the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Service Matters, the union accused the ASCON Director-General of violating statutory provisions and subjecting academic staff to intimidation.
ASURI alleged that on January 12, 2026, Dr. Adepoju arrived at the ASCON premises accompanied by armed and fully motorised military personnel and compelled 18 Academic Directors and Deputy Directors to collect termination letters on the grounds of age and years of service.
According to the union, the action violates the ASCON Establishment Act, the Public Service Rules, and the Conditions of Service governing academic staff in research and tertiary institutions. ASURI maintained that existing government directives and enabling laws clearly stipulate a retirement age of 65 for academic staff of ASCON and similar institutions, not 60 as applied in the affected cases.
The union further accused the Director-General of persistent intimidation of staff, absentee leadership, and questionable financial practices, warning that her continued stay in office could undermine the integrity of ASCON and embarrass the Federal Government at the international level.
ASURI Secretary-General, Professor Theophilus Ndubuaku, said the union was mobilising its members across research and allied institutions nationwide to resist what he described as a “dangerous precedent” that could lead to the casualisation and humiliation of academic staff within Nigeria’s research sector.
Among ASURI’s demands are the immediate reversal of the termination of the affected academic staff and the removal of Dr. Adepoju as Director-General of ASCON. The union warned that failure to meet these demands would result in a nationwide strike and picketing across research and allied institutions.
ASCON, established in 1972, is Nigeria’s premier management development and executive training institution, with global linkages and a mandate comparable to university-level academic and research institutions. ASURI argued that actions undermining its statutory framework reflect a broader neglect of research and development institutions, which it linked to Nigeria’s challenges in insecurity, poverty, unemployment, and weak industrial capacity.
As of the time of filing this report, the Federal Government had yet to issue an official response to the union’s declaration.
