Three months after President Bola Tinubu announced the appointment of 72 new management executives for the River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs), the appointees are still waiting for their official appointment letters from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume.
The prolonged delay has allowed the caretaker officials overseeing the 12 River Basin Development Authorities to remain in office, despite the presidential directive.
One of the appointees, who spoke on condition of anonymity with the media lamented the lack of communication from the SGF’s office regarding their appointment letters.
He stated, “It’s sad that three months after the President pronounced our appointments, we have been left in the cold. There is no explanation from the SGF, who is supposed to issue our letters of appointment.
“We can’t access the SGF as we speak. There is no single word from him.”
Another appointee, equally frustrated, said the delay was hindering their contributions to the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The appointee said, “The entire thing is confusing. We have a mandate to contribute to the actualisation of the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President in the agricultural sector. But here we are waiting endlessly to hit the ground running.”
A highly placed source within the presidency revealed that the delay was intentional, stemming from political disagreements over the appointments.
The source said, “What happened is that those appointments are political positions. But some states complained about the appointees and protested to the SGF. So, the presidency has been restrategising on how to go about it.”
The source further revealed that some nominees, particularly from the North, were different from those initially submitted, leading to discontent among stakeholders.
According to the source, “It is a case of some persons being appointed from the North who are different from the names of nominees submitted. There are similar cases like that in other River Basin Authorities. So, they need to resolve these issues. I think that is actually where the problem lies.”
President Tinubu had charged the appointees to use their wealth of experience to improve the efficiency of the River Basin Authorities, in line with his administration’s commitment to bettering the lives of citizens. However, the bureaucratic delay has stalled the implementation of this directive.
In Hadejia Jamaere River Basin Development Authority which has Kano, Jigawa and Bauchi as coverage areas, six new officials were engaged.
They included Mamman Aliyu – Chairman (Jigawa), Rabiu Bichi – Managing Director (Kano), Tijjani Isa – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Jigawa), Zainab Gamawa – Executive Director Agric Services (Bauchi), Baffa Abdulkadir – Executive Director, Engineering (Kano) and Musa Kwankwaso – Executive Director Finance (Kano)
Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority has six new appointees namely Odebunmi Olusegun – Chairman (Oyo), Dr Adedeji Ashiru – Managing Director (Osun), Ayo Oyalowo – Executive Director, Finance (Oyo), Dokunmu Oyekunle – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Ogun), Suleiman Oris – Executive Director, Agric Services (Lagos) and Julius Oloro – Executive Director, Engineering (Lagos)
Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority equally has six, which include Sanusi Babantanko – Chairman (Bauchi), Samuel Mahmud Mohammed – Managing Director (Taraba), Usman Bakare – Executive Director, Engineering (Taraba), Ibrahim Jalo – Executive Director Finance (Gombe), Isa Matori – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Bauchi) and Hamman Dikko – Executive Director, Agric Services (Adamawa)
Chad Basin Development Authority has Prof. Abdu Dauda – Chairman (Borno), Tijjani Tumsa – Managing Director (Yobe), Bashir Baale – Executive Director, Finance (Yobe), lliyasu Muazu – Executive Director, Agric Services (Adamawa), Mohammed Shetima – Executive Director, Engineering (Borno) and Vrati Nzonzo – Executive Director, Planning and Design (Borno).
Other River Basin Authorities include Benin-Owena with six appointees, Niger Delta (six), Upper Niger River (six), Lower Niger (six), Lower Benue (six), Anambra-Imo Basin with six, Cross River Basin (six) and Sokoto Rima Basin also with six executives.
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