Manny Ita –
Concerned staff members of the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN) have petitioned the institute’s governing board over allegations of age falsification, unlawful salary collection and gross misconduct against the Director of Human Resources, Adenike Adesanya.
In a petition dated February 25 and addressed to the governing board, the staff members said their action was taken “in the interest of transparency, accountability and prudent management of public resources.” The petitioners alleged that Mrs Adesanya has continued to receive full government salaries and emoluments since 2024 despite allegedly attaining the mandatory retirement age of 60.
According to the petition, Mrs Adesanya’s international passport indicates that she was born in 1964, while her official personnel records at the institute reportedly list her year of birth as 1966. The petitioners argued that the discrepancy amounts to deliberate age falsification that unlawfully extended her service by two years, resulting in what they described as the illegal withdrawal of public funds running into millions of naira.
They further alleged that Mrs Adesanya has continued to use the passport bearing the 1964 birth date for official and personal international travels, including trips undertaken in December 2025 and January 2026. “Despite having attained the age of 62 years, she continues to report for duty and has refused to relinquish her position,” the petition read in part.
The staff members also accused the HR director of allegedly mounting pressure on the Director-General, the Governing Board Chairman and members of management to approve an extension of her retirement age to 65 years, a move they maintained falls outside the statutory authority of the institute.
The petitioners requested that Mrs Adesanya be directed to step aside pending a “comprehensive, independent and forensic investigation” into her actual date of birth and related financial transactions. They also called for the recovery of all salaries, allowances and benefits allegedly received beyond her lawful retirement period, expressing confidence that the governing board would act impartially and urgently to address the matter.
As of the time of filing the report, neither Mrs Adesanya nor FRIN management had issued an official public response to the allegations. When contacted, Mrs Adesanya declined to comment over the phone, stating, “I cannot talk to you. I don’t know who you are, come to the institute in Ibadan if you need answers.”
Some senior officials of the institute who spoke on the matter confirmed that the allegations had generated concern within the organisation, with one official noting that standard procedure requires interdiction once such claims arise. “Once alleged, she’s supposed to be interdicted and investigated by the Disciplinary Standing Committee and findings submitted to the Governing Council for decision,” the official said.
In response to the petition, the FRIN Governing Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Zacharia Yaduma, issued a letter dated February 27 directing Mrs Adesanya to submit a written response to the allegations on or before 12 noon on March 2 or face disciplinary action.
“The FRIN Governing Board Chairman and I are in receipt of a formal petition containing serious allegations of age falsification against you in your official records and service particulars,” the letter stated, adding that the petition alleged manipulation of official records to reflect 1966 instead of 1964 as her year of birth.
The board warned that failure to respond within the stipulated timeframe “will be viewed as an admission of guilt and may result in the initiation of appropriate disciplinary proceedings in line with the Public Service Rules.”
Under the Federal Public Service Rules, falsification of records constitutes serious misconduct that may attract dismissal if proven, while provisions also allow for interdiction where a prima facie case exists pending investigation outcomes.
Established in 1954 and headquartered in Ibadan, Oyo State, FRIN operates under the Federal Ministry of Environment as Nigeria’s principal agency responsible for forestry research, biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest management. The institute conducts research on forest products, wildlife and agro-forestry aimed at environmental protection and sustainable utilisation of forest resources.
The allegations emerge amid wider concerns among environmental stakeholders about institutional capacity challenges within the agency, as Nigeria continues to grapple with declining forest cover and rising cases of illegal logging and environmental degradation across several biodiversity zones.
