No fewer than three members of staff of the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority (LNRBDA), Ilorin, were hospitalised on Monday following a violent disruption by union members.
It was reported that members of the National Union of Agricultural and Allied Employees staged a protest against the management of the authority over alleged high-handedness and poor workers’ welfare.
The union members, who picketed the premises, reportedly attacked some staff, inflicting varying degrees of injury on them.
The management, led by the Managing Director, Mr. George Olumoroti, called in security agencies, including the Police and the Department of State Services (DSS), to restore normalcy.
Speaking with journalists, Olumoroti said three members of staff were hospitalised after they were severely beaten by the protesting union members. He described the incident as a violent attack rather than a peaceful protest and made video evidence available to journalists.
According to him, the crisis stemmed from disciplinary actions taken against a staff member, Mr. Modi Olaiyinka Raji, over alleged gross misconduct and non-remittance of government revenue.
Olumoroti said that upon assumption of office in April 2025, the management reviewed records and disciplinary reports as part of efforts to align the authority with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He explained that the previous management had set up disciplinary committees to investigate allegations against the union leader, including diversion of government revenue, unretired IOUs, and unauthorised financial transactions.
The committees found the union leader and four others culpable and recommended sanctions, including refund of unaccounted funds, warning letters, and dismissal for gross misconduct and corrupt practices.
He added that these recommendations were reviewed and upheld by another committee and subsequently by the Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee, which included representatives from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.
The affected officers were denied promotion in line with public service rules pending the conclusion of disciplinary proceedings.
However, Olumoroti said he personally appealed to the Minister of Water Resources, Prof. Joseph Utsev, to temper justice with mercy by commuting Raji’s dismissal to lesser sanctions. The minister approved the appeal, directing Raji to refund unaccounted funds, accept a warning letter, and submit an undertaking of good conduct.
While other affected officers complied and returned to duty, the union leader allegedly rejected the clemency and petitioned the minister, claiming the documentary evidence used against him was forged.
This allegation prompted the minister to order a fresh investigation through a special disciplinary committee inaugurated last Wednesday.
Olumoroti alleged that the violent disturbance was intended to disrupt the committee’s work and frustrate ongoing reforms in the authority.
“This is a case of corruption fighting back. We are introducing reforms, accountability and discipline into the system and some persons are resisting change,” he said.
He further alleged that some workers invaded the premises with weapons, assaulted members of staff, and breached security.
However, members of another union resisted the disruption, insisting they were at work and not part of the protest.
The managing director warned that management would not tolerate acts of violence or intimidation, stressing that all staff must operate within public service rules and extant laws.
He reiterated management’s commitment to sanitising the authority and ensuring accountability in the handling of government property and revenue.
