Confusion As Tinubu Appoints 2 MDs For Upper Niger River Basin Authority

There is confusion surrounding the appointment of two managing directors and chief executives for the Upper Niger River Basin Development Authority (UNRBDA).

President Bola Tinubu had initially appointed Aliyu Tajudeen as the Managing Director and CEO of UNRBDA about two months ago.

Tajudeen’s appointment was communicated in a letter dated October 30, 2024, and signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume.

According to the letter with reference number SGF.51/S.4/T/368, Tajudeen’s appointment takes effect from October 29, 2024, for a four-year term.

However, in a surprising turn of events, President Tinubu also announced the appointment of another person, Dangajere Shuaibu Bawa Jaja, as Managing Director of the same Authority.

The appointment was contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday.

Jaja’s appointment was made alongside six executive directors for the UNRBDA.

Reacting to the frequent reversals or mixups in Tinubu’s appointments, an insider source who spoke to our correspondent attributed the development to a lack of due diligence and alleged hijacking of the process by a cabal within the presidency.

Also some political analysts in Kaduna State observed that the name Dangajere Shuaibu Bawa Jaja does not represent either Shuaibu Bawa Jaja, a former chairman of Kudan Local Government Area of the State or Mr Dangajere, who is a former chairman of Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna state.

“The situation has heightened confusion that those responsible for the appointments could not realise earlier appointments made, hence the current embarrassment of announcing three names,” the source added.

When contacted for response, the special adviser to the president on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, didn’t respond to our correspondent’s inquiry on the mix-up as the time of filing this report.