Board
by Chiazo Ogbolu
Lagos, April 17, 2018(NAN) Prof. Gloria Elemo, the Director- General, Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi, (FIIRO) on Tuesday urged its new Governing Board on policy direction to move the institute forward.
Elemo made the appeal during the inaugural meeting of the new governing board with the institute in Lagos.
The new governing board – Dr Ibrahim Gwarzo , the Chairman, Dr (Mrs) Tokunbo Fayokun, Mr Chuks Ololo, Alhaji Tajudeen Umar Na’Abba, Mr Harami Balami, Prof. Saburi Adesanya, Mr Baker Adewale, Dr Manasey Gwaza are members.
FIIRO director-general is the secretary of the board.
“The constitution of the governing board is long overdue knowing the importance of boards in articulating policy directions and its role in improving organisations.
“The profiles caliber of the chairman and members of the board, who are men and women of excellence, great knowledge and experience show that the future of the institute is bright.
“Now the horizon is clear and the time is ripe to move the institute to the next level,” she said.
Elemo intimated the chairman that the institute in the last seven years had worked diligently to lay solid foundation for the next level.
She said the management had been able to move the institute from obscurity to limelight and had taken back the lost glory of the institute.
She said the organisation’s visibility had improved tremendously both in government circle and the private sector.
The FIIRO D-G said that the institute had recorded major and outstanding achievements relevant to the programme of the Federal Government, especially those relevant to the major pillars of the economy.
Listing the achievements to the FIIRO, Elemo said that the institute in fulfilling its mandate had worked on virtually all raw materials both agro and solid minerals excluding oil and gas.
She said that some of the major breakthroughs of national economic importance are soaps and cosmetics; sorghum malt; weaning food, cassava processing, instant pounded yam flour, bottled palm wine among others.
“The pioneering activities of FIIRO in soaps and cosmetics research and development led to proliferation of cottage, small and medium soaps and cosmetics industries in Nigeria.
“The institute’s research and development into sorghum malt production led to the ban of barley malt production in 1986 and since then it has replaced barley malt in the brewing industry in Nigeria.
“The institute’s research brought the infant’s formula Soy-ogi, which has been adopted by many firms to produce various brands of infant formulae in the market,” she said.
Elemo said that the institute’s research in Cassava had brought about high Cassava flour inclusion in wheat flour which had the capacity to generate N96billion internal revenue based on demand estimate by flour millers.
She stressed the need for the country to be food security conscious, adding that FIIRO had developed a product that would combat malnutrition in its Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic Food (RUTF).
She said that the product was useful for treating Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) which exists in places with displaced persons.
She said that moving forward, facilitating the achievements of the institute, having a first class laboratory, manpower and facility in the six-geopolitical zones was a task the new board needed to address.
The chairman of the board, Gwarzo said that the resolution of the board was to add relevance to the institute and enhance its emergence from obscurity to more limelight.
He urged the management of FIIRO to give the board members the needed cooperation so that they could perform their work well and diligently.
“Today is the starting of a new page for the institute and we pray that with your cooperation the institute will move forward,” he said.
Gwarzo said that the presentation made by the D-G was an eye opener of what was expected from the board and urged members to do their best to meet up to the expectations.
He said that the Executive Order 5 that was directed by Federal Government would be well adhered by the team.
Gwarzo, therefore tasked the staff on the following on dedication to work, discipline, unity of purpose, adding that excellence would be rewarded and indiscipline to be sanctioned.(NAN)
CAN/GY
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Edited by Grace Yussuf
FIIRO D-G, Prof. Gloria Elemo and Chairman of the board, Dr Ibrahim Gwarzo
