Kwara State Assembly Moves To Resolve Crisis In Water Corporation
The Kwara State House of Assembly has commenced moves to resolve the crisis rocking the state Water Corporation to further enhance its service delivery to the people of the state.
The development followed a motion on matters of general public importance moved by Halidu Danbaba (APC-Kaiama/Kemaji/Wajibe) at plenary on Tuesday.
Danbaba, who is the Chairman, House Committee on Water Resources, said “Investigations revealed that there was an industrial dispute between members of staff and the management of the corporation.”
He said that “the corporation’s General Manager, Mr Shehu Umar, had been in acting capacity for more than four years, with staff members levelling some allegations bordering on corruption against him.”
The lawmaker appealed to the Assembly to look into the matter and get it resolved so that the residents would not be made to face water scarcity due to the looming strike.
In his submission, the Deputy Speaker, Raphael Adetiba (APC-Oke-Ero) said that “the matter was a serious one which should not be swept under the carpet.”
He said looking into the matter would make the stakeholders realise that the government was aware of the crisis and was ready to find lasting solutions.
Other lawmakers, who spoke on the matter, called for the appointment of a substantive general manager, to restore normalcy to the crisis-ridden corporation.
The Assembly unanimously agreed that it was high time an amicable resolution was found to the crisis so that the government’s huge investment in the corporation would not go down the drain.
Consequently, the Speaker, Salihu Yakub-Danladi, directed the House Committee on Water Resources to investigate the matter and submit its report on May 11.
The aggrieved workers, under the aegis of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), had, on April 27, passed a vote of no confidence in the acting general manager.
Some of the allegations levelled against him included: intimidation, bad administration, sabotaging the government’s effort in the ongoing rehabilitation of water facilities, poor staff welfare and a poor working environment.
NAN/ Mercy Chukwudiebere
