On Monday 26 October, 2020, the mantle of leadership of Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), fell on Dr. Patrick Olusanmi Adebola as the fourth Executive Director (ED). It was a great task of rebuilding and repositioning the Institute, considering the deep seated animosity and acrimony that embroiled the system. At the time of assumption of office by Dr. Adebola, the Institute was tottering over the edge of precipice with a litany of unpaid debts, moribund infrastructures, withheld funds, and aggrieved staff, whose morale was on the lowest ebb. Dr Adebola, like an experienced craftsman, set out to repair the defragmented parts of the Institute, on assumption of office.
He reconstituted the Management Committee with progressives and flung open his doors to all cadre of staff. He organized periodic interactive sessions thereby assuaging the aches of aggrieved staff. The ED, being fully aware of essentials of peaceful co-existence with the host communities, paid visits to all the traditional leaders (Baales) and obtained royal blessings. He apologized to all that suffered injustice and curried the cooperation of all and sundry. As a master planner who has all the blueprints clearly laid out, Dr. Adebola balm the financial aches of staff (both serving and retired) by the payment of long overdue staff entitlements which includes: Resettlement Allowances (50% of the year 2012 to 2020); 1st 28 days of staff transferred to substations where there are no staff quarters; Repatriation Allowances (year 2013 to 2020); Deceased staff arrears (100% of the year 2013 to date); Training arrears (year 2013 to 2020); and Unpaid vouchers
(year 2017 to 2020) to the tune of N26,191,459.27. It is noteworthy that these staff entitlements paid by the ED were owed by the previous administrations. This noble act brought a palpable sense of joy among CRIN staff with jubilations and encomiums poured on the ED for this laudable achievements.
The good works of Dr. Adebola, came to the fore again as he successfully facilitated the recovery of deductions of the cooperative societies and unions that was withheld for 15 months and 6 days. A cumulative sum of N23,071,756 was returned in full to the coffers of CRIN Cooperative societies, Academic Staff Union of Research Institutes (ASURI), Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research
Institutes and Associated Institutions (SSAUTHRIAI), Non Academic Staff Union(NASU), National Association of Professional Secretarial Staff of Nigeria (NAPSSON), Association of Agricultural Technologists of Nigeria (AATON) and the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). Another round of jubilation over this rare feat reverberated throughout the Institute and was even felt by retirees all of whom were earlier subjected to great hardship, as access to severance allowance, loan and disbursement of dividends was hampered.
Credits for the payment of the returned three months’ salary to staff is largely that of Dr. Adebola. This great feat, which past administrations laboured in vain to achieve, greatly instilled peace in the Institute.
The ED CRIN, Dr. Patrick Adebola, has started the renovation and facelift of the Administrative Office Complex of CRIN Headquarters to a befitting standard for the first time in a very long time. This laudable project depicts the visionary and leadership capacity of the ED in transforming the Institute from the old narratives.
Additionally, the ED upgraded the Institute Website(https://crin.gov.ng/) and the Internet bandwidth from 4Mbps to 100Mbps; Resuscitated the Pure Water Factory; Renovated the Flavour Quality Laboratory; Established Gymnastic Centre; On-going construction of the fermentary and the Perimeter fencing of the Institute.
