Lower Niger River Basin impasse: NLC and NUAAE defend action

The Kwara State chapter of the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) has entered the crisis currently by launching the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority (LNRBDA) in Ilorin and its members operating under the aegis of the Nigerian Union of Agricultural and Allied Employees (NUAAE).

The LNRBDA, a parastatal organization of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, is responsible for dam construction, irrigation, flood and erosion control, and agricultural support throughout its coverage area.

Before now, the union had alleged poor leadership among other allegations against the CEO/CEO, Engr. Olushola George Olumoroti, a charge he then replied to a few days ago in a published report.

Olumoroti, speaking at a press conference, had accused a senior union leader of the agency, Mudi Olayinka Raji, of masterminding a violent disturbance at the authority in a bid to frustrate an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption and misconduct.

Olumoroti further said that the riots, which reportedly disrupted official activities and led to attacks on staff members, were orchestrated to stop a committee set up to investigate Raji’s claims that evidence against him had been falsified.

But countering the CEO’s claims, the union atva oress briefing alleged poor leadership, broken promises among other offenses as reasons why they are at loggerheads with Olumoroti.

They turned back the clock, saying that upon assuming office in April 2025, three months after President Bola Tinubu approved the reconstitution of the executive management of 12 river basin development authorities in December 2024, he pledged to reposition the authority on its mandate of ensuring food abundance and security within a year, resuscitate a moribund water factory and basin farms, and prioritize the well-being of the staff, expressing regret that the commitments promised to the workers were not fulfilled.

But as the situation worsened, the labor movement in the State stepped in, cautioning stakeholders against infusing any form of prejudice, insisting that the labor movement does not act on emotions, prejudices or sentiments in all its activities.

The apex union said every action taken by the NUAAE and NLC in relation to the affairs of the LNRBDA is based on facts, documented evidence, established due process and protection of the rights and welfare of Nigerian workers.

In a strongly worded statement made available to Blueprint on Wednesday in Abuja, the State Chairman, Kwara NLC, Comrade Saheed Olayinka, the NLC frowned and rejected in its entirety the attempts of the Chief Executive to paint the legitimate agitation of the workers as the act of a single aggrieved individual.

The union questioned why the CEO called the workers’ actions on May 11 a “violent disturbance” and “hooliganism” and even attempted to paint NLC and NUAAE members as aggressors.

The union described the move as a calculated inversion of the truth, designed to criminalize victims and protect perpetrators.

The NLC further alleged that NUAAE members and members simply conducted a peaceful protest outside the gates of the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority, saying that not only was it legal, orderly and consistent with the constitutional rights of Nigerian workers to freedom of assembly and expression, but the union claimed that at no time did the protesting workers threaten, assault or provoke any individual.

The union notes that after carefully examining the press release issued by Eng. Olushola George Olumoroti, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority (LNRBDA), dated 11 May 2026, felt compelled, as a responsible and law-abiding labor movement, to set the record straight, correct deliberate misrepresentations and present the facts as they really are to the Nigerian public, relevant government authorities and all anti-corruption agencies.

Kwara NLC further warned that the Labor Movement, in its character and tradition, does not act on emotion, prejudice or sentiment, adding: “Every action taken by the NUAAE and the NLC in relation to the affairs of the LNRBDA is based on facts, documented evidence, established due process and protection of the rights and welfare of Nigerian workers. We reject in its entirety.”

The NLC therefore requested immediate payment of all 28-day relocation allowances owed to the LNRBDA’s transferred and newly hired staff.

They also called for the immediate correction of all misplacements of our members in the LNRBDA, the correct and accurate placement of the affected members at their rightful ranks in accordance with existing public service rules and their years of service, and the unconditional release of all withheld letters of promotion belonging to our members.

Similarly, they also called on the Nigeria Police Force to urgently begin investigations into the saber attack against peaceful NLC and NUAAE protesters on 11 May 2026 and to hold the sponsors and perpetrators of that violence fully accountable.

They demanded that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) shine their spotlight on the activities and transactions of the LNRBDA under the current management, insisting that with the video and other evidence at its disposal, the syndicate would not be silenced.

Referring to the intimidation that precedes the tenure of the MD/CEO, the NLC noted with dismay the victimization of comrade Mudi Olayinka Raji and other LNRBDA leaders and union members, which the union says did not begin under the current management.

It further reads: “It all began under the tenure of Engineer Saheed Aremu, the immediate past Chief Executive Officer, when the Union formally reported its maladministration to the Honorable Minister of Water Resources.

“The act of exposing corruption in the interest of the Nigerian public was met, not with investigation or gratitude, but with deliberate persecution. The corruption case reported by the Union chose to react

Comrade Raji, who was the branch chairman at the time, became the prime target. He was suddenly removed from his position as Area Manager of the Ilorin Office, a punitive transfer by all reasonable interpretations. This is the basis on which the current management has continued to build its campaign of harassment. The Managing Director has presented the disciplinary process against Comrade Mudi Olayinka Raji as thorough, fair and nuanced. The truth is exactly the opposite. After his removal from the area The Director, Comrade Raji, submitted a handover note as requested. He was subsequently informed in writing to provide clarifications on certain aspects of that handover report and duly responded to all issues raised in writing.

“However, instead of being subjected to a formal questioning, which is the basic requirement of natural justice and public service rules before a disciplinary commission can be constituted, he was directly arraigned before a disciplinary commission. He was never questioned. A disciplinary commission without a prior questioning is a nullity in public service law and procedure.

“Furthermore, the disputed IOUs referred to by the CEO relate to transactions dating back to 2018. Disciplinary proceedings against Comrade Raji were only initiated in 2022, a gap of four years. During this period, numerous audits were conducted at the LNRBDA and none of these audits raised any findings or concerns about Comrade Raji.

“It is a fundamental principle of administrative fairness and due process that matters examined and clarified through established audit processes cannot be selectively reopened years later without new credible evidence, for clearly punitive and political purposes. It is also of paramount importance that the Nigerian public understands the internal financial structure and chain of responsibility that governs the operations of an area office such as the Ilorin Area Office. The Area Office Accountant is the designated custodian of all funds in the Area Office. He is the area office accountant releasing funds as required for operational needs, and it is equally the area office accountant’s statutory responsibility to ensure that all IOUs approved by the area manager are duly tracked, monitored and collected in accordance with financial regulations.

“The CEO’s attempt to place sole responsibility on Comrade Raji, while completely ignoring the accountant’s role and responsibility in the retirement process, is not only procedurally dishonest, but highlights the selective and targeted nature of this entire disciplinary exercise.

“A fair and proper investigation would have examined the conduct and records of the area office accountant with equal, if not greater, scrutiny. That fact does not speak volumes about the true intent behind this persecution.

“We wish to state, clearly, categorically and without any equivocation, that this allegation is entirely false and deeply misleading. As of 11 May 2026, the very date of the protest, Comrade Mudi Olayinka Raji had not been formally informed, in writing or otherwise, of any ministerial directive, nor of the inauguration of any vetting committee.

“Comrade Raji was not served with any letter, memorandum, notice or official correspondence of any kind informing him that a committee had been constituted to consider his demands, or that he was expected to appear before such a committee or co-operate with such a committee on that date or at any time shortly thereafter. How then can the CEO credibly claim that the union mobilized a protest to obstruct a process of which its principal actor had not even been officially informed?”

“This statement does not stand up to the most basic scrutiny. It is an afterthought, a convenient narrative constructed to justify the violent repression of a legitimate labor protest and to divert attention from the workers’ genuine grievances. We challenge the CEO to produce, openly and publicly, documentary evidence demonstrating the date on which Comrade Mudi Olayinka Raji was officially informed of the ministerial directive and the inauguration of the audit committee. If such notice was not issued before May 11 2026, and we are sure that no one was, the CEO owes Comrade Raji, the union and the Nigerian public a full and unreserved apology for this deliberate misrepresentation.

“The CEO characterized the workers’ actions on May 11 as a ‘violent disturbance’ and ‘hooliganism’ and attempted to portray members of the NLC and NUAAE as aggressors. This characterization is not only false. It is a calculated inversion of the truth, designed to criminalize victims and protect perpetrators.”