A major industrial crisis looms in the Kwara State Water Corporation following a 14-day ultimatum issued by its workers’ union to the state government to address some crucial issues.
They are demanding, among others, the immediate removal of the Acting General Manager of the corporation, Engr Shehu Umar.
In the letter to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, dated April 19, 2023, the workers, under the umbrella of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, and Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, asked the government to replace the acting General Manager with a progressive minded person.
The letter signed by Comrades Stephen Salako and Alabi Olayinka, further called for a technical committee comprising professional staff, organised labour and all stakeholders to restructure the water sector in the state.
The workers complained among others about revenue generation level, no cordial relationship between management and workers, poor operational system and lack of maintenance culture and one man management.
They noted that “aside from protecting the interest of the workers, it is also our duty to protect the interest of the government so as to achieve the set goals.
“Your Excellency Sir, in the light of the above, the union hopes that in the next 14 days, our request might have been attended to, otherwise the union may not guarantee you of any industrial peace in the organisation.”
Reacting to the workers union action, the embattled acting General Manager, who has been in office for over three years in acting capacity, dismissed the allegations saying “it is corruption that is fighting back.”
Umar said: “since the state leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, waded into the crisis on Thursday, I don’t want to create more issues, but all I want to say is that they should let peace reign.
“I want peace, but they should understand that corruption cannot continue to fight us and we will fold our arms. We cannot do that as a government, I want peace, let them embrace peace, because if we must go deep down into the issue, it might be a big one for them,” he declared.
He said the state government had in the last four years spent over N3b to provide bore holes and rehabilitate water works across the state and “we need returns on our investments.
“Revenue is not flowing as expected and we want to check what is responsible and we are going all over the places to check what is responsible.
“Since they have a skeleton in their cupboard, they are clamouring that they should send the GM away; even if they send the GM away, we will still look at what is happening here. So many can of worms here please.”
However, the Chairman of Amalgamated Union, Kwara Water Corporation, Issa Olusesan, countered the GM’s defence, saying the agency would soon collapse if he remained at the helm of the affairs of the corporation.
“We want to tell the governor, we don’t have problems with the government, but with the General Manager who is representing the governor,” he said.
The union chairman admitted that “it is true that some staff stole chemicals last year, we caught them with my assistance and they were sanctioned.”
He, however, alleged that those who stole the chemicals were close allies of the General Manager.
He alleged poor maintenance of the corporation’s equipment and operational vehicles which contributed to the fall in the revenue inflow of the agency.
The union chairman further alleged that the N3m earmarked monthly for maintenance of equipment and operational vehicles was not being utilised properly.
Olusesan, who is a production staff at Asa Dam, confirmed that the leadership of the state labour congress had waded into the matter, but vowed that the union will not shelve the 14-day ultimatum issued to the state government.
He said “if nothing happens by next week, we will issue another 7-day warning notice to commence an industrial action.”
Meanwhile, the Kwara State House of Assembly has waded into the looming crisis.
A member of the House, Abdullahi Halidu Danbaba raised the issue on the floor of the House on Tuesday, asking the legislative arm to wade into the dispute.
Danbaba, who relied on order V11 Rules 40 to present a matter of general public importance, stressed the need to avert the looming crisis between the workers’ union, the management and particularly the acting General Manager of the agency, Shehu Umar.
The lawmaker expressed displeasure over the crisis between the workers and the acting General Manager.
Efforts to get reactions from officials of the State Ministry of Water Resources proved abortive as of the time of this report.
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