WORKERS IN THE IMO/RIVER BASIN LOCK OUT MD DUE TO A TENURE CRISIS.

Imo/River Basin Development Authority is in crisis after the company’s managing director, Mr. Gerald Osuagwu, was fired by the workers for allegedly exceeding his four-year tenure.

According to the employees, Osuagwu was meant to take over to the most senior staff members on June 2, 2023, when his tenure officially ended.

After keeping him out of the workplace for a while, the disgruntled workers finally opened the doors to him thanks to the involvement of union leaders.

According to a source who requested anonymity and told our correspondent that Osuagwu and the employees had a tense relationship during his first term, the staff decided to engage in the showdown.

The staff members claimed that they were operating on the orders of the Agriculture and Allied Employees Union of Nigeria (AAEUN) and AIRBDA, who they claim gave them the order to lock him up on June 2nd when his contract expired.

On May 28, 2023, according to Osuagwu’s claims, Boss Mustapha, a former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), extended his term.

He asserted that the procedures for his reappointment were followed, adding that the employees were unaware of the ground rules.

Already, the managing director’s purported term extension letter has been called into question by the executives of the two unions, who have petitioned the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.

They claimed that his reappointment was improper because the directive should have come from the supervising ministry, not the SGF office. This raised doubts about the veracity of his claim, especially given that the reappointment letter was sent out one day before his first tenure was set to expire.

In the letter to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, it is stated in part, “That instead of doing so, the MD refused to appear in the office throughout the working day of June 2 but instead travelled to the office of the SGF to collect a letter of reappointment.”