Staff at the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS) in Ilorin, Kwara State, staged a total shutdown of the institute on Monday to protest the reappointment of Comrade Issa Aremu as Director-General. The workers, supported by three major unions, argue the decision disregarded multiple petitions outlining alleged financial misconduct, abuse of office, and toxic leadership during Aremu's first tenure.

The protest brought operations at the institute's Ganmo campus to a halt, with staff citing irregularities in the appointment process, including the routing of the DG's appointment letter through the Office of the Minister of Labour rather than the statutory Minister of State for Labour (Labour II) - a move they claim was intended to bypass a critical report from the latter office.

Union leaders condemned the reappointment, asserting it undermines due process and staff welfare. They accused Aremu of governing MINILS as a personal fiefdom, citing 18 unresolved allegations from his previous term, including financial impropriety, absentee leadership, and misappropriation of public funds.

They claim he spent minimal time at the Ilorin office while collecting full allowances and failed to produce audited financial statements for three years.

Beyond financial concerns, the work atmosphere is described as toxic.

Aremu is accused of verbal abuse, bullying, and sidelining staff in decision-making.

Alleged cosmetic projects like digital library automation and overhyped public ceremonies, they say, serve more for media attention than institutional growth.

Efforts to get official response from institute management failed, as most senior staff were reportedly locked out of the premises and unwilling to comment.

Comrade Aremu is said to be out of the country and could not be reached for a response.

The protesting workers are now calling on President Bola Tinubu and the Ministry of Labour to immediately reverse Aremu's reappointment and appoint a more qualified candidate familiar with the institute's mandate.