- The Trade Group of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation and its corresponding River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) have demanded the immediate liquidation of outstanding promotion arrears dating back to 2019.
- Organized labor called for a comprehensive review of the current civil service salary structure for RBDA personnel, alongside a critical policy shift allowing career officers to rise to top executive management positions.
- The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Utsev, welcomed the union leaders, promising a thorough examination of their submitted memorandum to resolve ongoing industrial friction.
The organized workforce within the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, alongside the country’s localized River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs), has unified to present a series of urgent institutional demands to the federal government.
Eko Hot Blog reports that operating under the National Union of Agriculture and Allied Employees (NUAAE), the trade union requested the immediate settlement of all unpaid promotion arrears accumulated from 2019 to the present year.
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The workers also stressed the need for a comprehensive structural review of salaries, regular promotional windows, and specialized capacity-building exercises across the board.
The collective demands were formally presented in Abuja during an institutional courtesy visit to the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Utsev.
Leading the trade group delegation, Ambrose Igiebour characterized the strategic high-level engagement as the beginning of an era of transparent collaboration between the ministry’s executive leadership and its technical workforce.
Igiebour reminded the administration that agricultural civil servants play an indispensable role in maintaining rural development, domestic water security, and food safety, elements that are vital to the successful implementation of the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Beyond addressing the backlog of financial compensations, the labor union pushed for a policy amendment aimed at lifting career limits within the RBDAs.
Currently, technical experts are capped at the rank of Director, but the union requested a clear pathway for qualified internal career professionals to advance into top executive roles, specifically Executive Director and Managing Director.
To avoid delays in salary adjustments, the union urged the ministry to institutionalize a standard timeline ensuring that yearly promotion reviews are conducted within the first quarter of every year.
Furthermore, the delegation commended the minister’s recent administrative interventions that successfully restored operational peace within the Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority, while appealing for a similar collaborative mindset to settle other localized, lingering industrial disputes across the country.
In his official response, Professor Joseph Utsev praised the labor union for prioritizing industrial harmony and opting for a constructive, structured dialogue rather than disruptive industrial actions.
The minister assured the visiting delegation that the federal government remains deeply committed to employee welfare, pledging to carefully study the union’s submitted memorandum.
Utsev directed relevant senior officials within the ministry to immediately coordinate with union leadership to analyze the financial metrics of the outstanding 2019 promotion arrears and devise sustainable, long-term policy solutions for the water resources sector.
