The now immediate-past Managing Director of Lower Niger River Basin Authority (LNRBA), Dr. Adeniyi Aremu, is innovative, hardworking and fair in attitude towards staff, two of his former colleagues say.
The Authority’s Director of Legal, Mr Sodiq Onimisi, while speaking during his opening address at the send-forth programme in Ilorin in honour of Aremu, was emphatic.
He said the occasion, which was a celebration of Aremu and was organised by the LNRBA management, brought about mixed feelings.
“I have mixed feelings about his exit from the Authority, just as this programme is also a celebration of landmark achievements by him.
“The eight years spent by Aremu here has been impactful, with landmark achievements for both staff and the Authority.
“We have progressed and advanced under his leadership, and we are better off than we were,” Onimisi said.
He said the list of projects Aremu executed included the transformations in the headquarters complex, estate, schools, stores and Engineering buildings.
“Others include paved roads construction, creation of Omu-Aran area office to signify the Authority’s presence in all senatorial districts, and acquisition of more plots of land for irrigation activities both in Kwara and Kogi,” Onimisi added.
Also, in his speech, Alhaji Muftau Morounfoye, the Director of Agric Services at LNRBA, described Aremu as very respectful to all staff, humble and dogged in his leadership.
He advised him to continue to exhibit good qualities that made him exemplary whereever he found himself in life.
In his reaction, Aremu expressed joy at the way the Authority’s staff organised the send-forth celebration on his behalf.
He pointed out that all that was achieved in the Authority were as a result of hard work and cooperation from staff.
“We started with development of infrastructure, the building, the capacity of staff to enhance their skills and knowledge on various aspects of the demands of the Authority.
“Today, we thank God Almighty (that) we’ve achieved all the mandate and what is required of the Authority in terms of water for multipurpose use,” Aremu said.
“Today is historic in the sense that we started in 2017 with Memorandum of Understanding to release 4,000 hectares and this is in line with the objectives of the country’s President.
“This is in the area of employment-generation, job-creation and economic development,” he added.
Aremu also said five dams have been commissioned in Kwara and Kogi, while more than 1,500 boreholes, 16 water treatment plants and two Shonga Model Farms were also commissioned.
Similarly, Mr. Rasheed Oyedeji, the outgoing LNRBA Executive Director of Planning, Investigation and Design, described Aremu as a principled administrator who extracts the best from everyone.
Another outgoing staff, Dr Moses Babatunde, who was the Executive Director of Engineering Services, said his working relationship with Aremu and other staff was very cordial.
He advised the staff to continue to work hard for the Authority in order to further develop the country.