The Executive Director (ED) of CRIN, Dr. Patrick Olusanmi Adebola, is an exemplary Nigerian who has demonstrated how living can still be meaningful when life is lived with purpose and integrity. Understanding that no meaningful life can be built on an easy street, he made up his mind to drive his experience and competence with an uncommon audacity and high standards when he was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of CRIN on October, 2020. Today, just a year as the ED CRIN, Dr. Adebola has recorded commendable achievements which are gradually transforming the Institute from the old narratives.
Propelled by a patriotic desire to rebuild and reposition CRIN, he did not waste time before adding flesh to his ideas through an effective implementation of policies which have achieved industrial harmony at the Institute. This has made it possible for him to re-focus the staff towards achieving the mandate of CRIN. Explaining what he has done to reset CRlN to the path of glory, Dr. Adebola noted that “CRIN was always making the news for wrong seasons many years before I came in as the ED, and that somehow affected its core research mandate. There was industrial disharmony and infighting, and incessant strike and other issues. Therefore, the first agenda I tackled was the existing labour crisis. I was able to achieve industrial harmony and boosted the staff morale by operating an open-door policy while paying substantial part of arears I met. I also reconstituted a management team through which I brought everybody on board, I have maintained my neutrality and we have been having interactive sessions which allowed everybody to bring his ideas and suggestions to the table. I have gained the confidence of the staff. Furthermore, I did my best to re-instill the culture of research back to the Institute, and redeemed its battered image. With the achievement of these, we are now looking at ways to increase the internally generated revenue of the Institute so that we can reduce the funding gap which has been affecting operations and causing industrial strikes.”
In his words, “I have gone out to reach people in Abuja and everywhere to source funds with which we have been executing our programmes, part of which is staff training which cuts across the senior and junior cadres. Before now, most of these staff have not gone for any training since they joined CRIN. Apart from this, we organized retreat for senior management staff through which we brainstormed and calm nerves. I have also started the facelift of the dilapidated infrastructure; the administrative office complex was renovated, our Flavour Quality Laboratory was resuscitated, we are working on our fermentary, and the construction of the Institute’s perimeter fencing is ongoing. Solar light has been put in place among other things we have done. Meanwhile, all I have achieved so far could not have been possible, without the support of the Alhaji Abdulahi Jao-led Board, and the cooperation of the staff. These policies and projects are changing CRIN for the better”.
