The Minister of Water Resources, Sarah Reng Ochekpe, has warned the Managing Directors and Executives Directors of the 12 River Basin Development Authorities that anyone who henceforth breaches protocol in the conduct of official assignment would be sanctioned.
Ochekpe made this known on Monday during a Retreat for Boards and Management of the River Basin Development Authorities in Abuja.
She said that though the River Basin Development Authorities have recorded tremendous achievements in the implementation of 2013 budget, especially in the execution of the constituency projects, however, some have been in the contest for superiority between the Board and Management and some time with the Ministry in the area of contract award, project management, appointment, welfare package and other administrative issues.
The Minister said: “Managing Directors and Executive Directors sometimes leave duty posts without proper documentation and visit other government agencies in Abuja ostensibly for meeting without the knowledge of the Ministry.
“In other circumstances, they exchange official correspondences with very senior officials of government without copying the Ministry for its information.
“Henceforth RBDAs must submit to the ministry reports of their meetings with other government agencies such as the National Assembly, Ecological Fund Office, Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs and Special duties etc. Any RBDA that delays on the return of information beyond the stipulated deadline must be sectioned and any Managing Director or Executive Director who travels out of his constituency coverage without the knowledge of the Hon. Minister, Permanent Secretary or Chairman of the Board of the Authority must also be sanctioned.”
Speaking further, the Minister noted the challenges facing the River Basin Development Authorities, which include indebtedness, acute shortage of funds, inadequate personnel and equipment as well as shortfall in releasing of approved funds.
She therefore advised the Board and Management of River Basins to be very prudent in the management of available resources.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Baba Umar Faruk, represented by the Director in his Office, Daniel Daudu, said that since the Board was inaugurated a year ago, there was the need to take stock of Budget 2013 and also look at Budget 2014, which is awaiting approval.
According to Faruk: “We have brought to you to this retreat to provide the forum for you to speak frankly to the Ministry’s management about the challenges both from the RBDA’s Managements and Boards’ perspectives so that we can find a common solution to such challenges.”
He added that the success of the RBDAs and that of the Ministry should be paramount and therefore manage whatever challenges without impacting negatively on the achievement recorded so far.
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