Anambra-Imo River Basin Workers  Reject MD’s Reappointment

Amby Uneze in Owerri

Crisis has erupted at the Anambra Imo River Basin Development Authority (AIRBDA), with its headquarters in Agbala near Owerri, Imo State, as staff members of the Authority have rejected the purported reappointment of the Managing Director, Gerald Osuagwu.

The staff, who staged a protest over his reappointment, demanded that the managing director, whose first tenure expired on June 2, 2023, should not be reappointed, because of his alleged administrative ineffectiveness in terms of  relationship with workers.

The disenchanted workers gathered at the premises of the Authority faulting a letter of reappointment allegedly signed by the immediate-past Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, on May 28, 2023, authorising him to resume his second four-year tenure on June 3, 2023, insisting that it is “suspicious and unacceptable” to them.

They had expected that if the letter was authentic, it would have emanated from the newly appointed SGF, George Akume.

But Osuagwu, in his reaction last Tuesday, said the doubts and allegations by the workers were not tenable, insisting that he was recommended by the parent ministry of the agency before he was issued a reappointment letter, and claimed that he had been honoured with an award of being the best Managing Director among other River Basin agencies in the country, with track record of achievements.

He said there was no need to hand over to the most senior officer since his reappointment letter took care of the lacuna which would have been created had it been he was asked to wait.

However, the staffers had also expressed grievance that Osuagwu did not hand over his office to the most senior Executive Director (in charge of engineering), Mike Nwachukwu, among the four executive directors, to run the affairs of the agency, pending the resolution of the problem.

Addressing the aggrieved workers, the state Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Agriculture and Allied Employees (NUAAE), Oko Ibe-Enwo, said the union had taken over the matter and had written to the permanent secretary of the parent ministry (Federal Ministry of Water Resources) on June 4 to clarify and authenticate the letter presented by Osuagwu, insisting that the union resolved that the office of the MD, remained under “lock and key.”

Ibe- Enwo, who was accompanied by the branch union Chairman of the agency, Nwabueze Ibeneme, among other members of the executive, said contents of the letter they sent to the permanent secretary included demanding that the issue of reappointment of Osuagwu be put on hold to avert further “tension from the management, staff and the host community.”

The letter read: “We are unaware as it is unprecedented that letters conveying appointment or reappointment of MDs or EDs of RBDAs in the country now come directly from the SGF’s office and no longer through the FMWR (our supervising ministry), which is believed would have made recommendations for such appointments (in the first instance).”

They cited appointments and end of tenures of other MDs in other sister agencies in the country.

Continuing, the union also insisted that: “The implication of the hasty decision is that G. O. Osuagwu had two letters of appointment at the same time which we consider a fraudulent act.

“The council in session wishes to use this medium to appeal to the permanent secretary not to allow this ugly situation tear our great establishment apart.

“We graciously request that the office of

the MD remains under lock and key while the most senior ED continues to pilot the affairs of the authority pending when convincing answers are given/provided by the ministry to the obvious doubts the reappointment is raising.

“The council in session resolved, and pleads that you use your good offices to direct that attempts at making the reappointment of Osuagwu for second term public is put on hold to avert tension from management, staff and host community.”

However, Osuagwu, maintained that those against him were ignorant of the development, saying: “I have a letter from the parent ministry recommending me for my tenure to be renewed at its expiration. Can the ministry recommend you and be against you? People are desperate. I have evidence to tender. I am going to substantiate my letters.”