Members of the reconstituted board of the 12 River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) spread across the six geopolitical zones of the country may have a sigh of relief over their quest for letters of appointment.
The Nigerian Tribune learnt at the weekend that President Bola Tinubu has reportedly ordered the immediate release of their letters.
This followed the Nigerian Tribune report last Week that the appointees were yet to get their letters of appointment more than a month after their names were announced by the presidency.
It was exclusively reported the disquiet triggered by the bureaucratic bottlenecks that apparent has delayed the due process for the release of the letters.
Last Friday, the president appointed board chairpersons for 42 federal organisations, secretary to the board of the Civil Defence, Immigration and Prisons Services.
He equally appointed a new managing director for the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) and a director general for the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI), and warned the board chairmen against meddling in the management operations as their positions are non-executive.
Recall that on December 18, President approved the reconstitution of the executive management teams for 12 RBDAs under the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.
The new appointments were announced in a statement by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The appointees as members of the new management teams of agencies had threatened to resume duty last week, after waiting for weeks without official letters of their appointments.
Their action was due to a letter from an official of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to the effect that the existing set of management teams of the agencies should remain in office until due process is done on the expected change of guard.
In the memo dated January 14, 2025 and addressed to the managing directors of the RBDAs, the ministry said all handing-over and taking-over should take place after the newly appointed managing directors and executive directors would have received their letters of appointment and fully documented with the ministry.
But, the appointees had disagreed with the authorities over the decision, and announced their intention to resume office.
In a letter dated January 20, 2025, to the Minister of Water Resources, the appointees noted that President Tinubu in exercise his power, by appointing them as a set of the management teams for the individual RBDAs.
According to them, the action became necessary “to allay any insinuation that probably, they are not interested” in their appointment by President Tinubu to serve the country.
The letter was tagged: Re: Appointment by the President, H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on 18th, December 2024 and Notification of Resumption of Duty of the Executive Management of the River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs)
It read: “You kindly recall that the president, His Excellency, Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tlnubu, graciously appointed us as Executive Management Team for the River Basin Development Authority on the 18th December, 2024, which of course resides within the power of his mandate and the wisdom of his leadership.
“This is an opportunity which we have embraced as appointees and are willing and ready to contribute our effort to the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Having waited endlessly without the letter of appointment, we have therefore resolved by virtue of the presidential announcement and authority which supersede all other authorities within the Institution, to resume official duty.
“With all sense of responsibility, duty and commitment to the Renewed Hope agenda, we shall proceed to the River Basin Authorities on Tuesday, 21 January 2025, to resume official duty in our offices in order to execute the task that has been assigned to us by our president, His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tlnubu.
“This is to allay any insinuation that probably, we are not interested in the very important recognition by Mr. President to serve our fatherland and to quickly contribute our quota to the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
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