The managing Director of the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority (NDBDA)Engr.Mark Daso Derefaka, has called on staff of the Authority to brace up for the challenges of repositioning the company for increased productivity.
Engr Derefaka said this in a welcome adress at the opening ceremony of the 56th FMWR/All River Basin Trade Group meeting in Port Harcourt.
He said the Authority has braved the odds and established Onghai farm in each of the senatorial district ,making eight so far established within the Authority’s catchmemt areas.
“We have started PPP arrangements with external bodies to implement our projects in various states of the region .
“As a partially commercialised RBDA we need to think outside the box to meetup the task ahead”he said.
Also speaking the chairman, Federal Ministry of Water Resources /River Basin Development Authority’s Trade Group, Comrade Mudi Olayinka Raji, said the Union will not antagonize any management “and we have not positioned ourselves as a pressure group but rather as a partner in progress “adding that in most cases their intentions are misunderstood.
“Our congress strongly believe that our progress and wellbeing is in the development of our various River Basin Authorities and this has left us with no other choice than to give our maximum support to the managing Directors and the management as a whole”he said.
He also said the union is determined to achieve a better salary for its members..
Earlier in her welcome adress, the chaiman, National Union of Agriculture and Allied Employees, Mrs Ifiemi Ikpaikpa said the event provides the union another opportunity to reevaluate the progress the agency had made in the actualisation of goverment set objectives,project the way forward and further equip staff with the necessary tools to promote  industrial harmony .
She also said the union had grown in leaps and bounds as the leadership strongly believed that dialogue, ,negotiation and collective bargaining were the hallmarks of a labour union in a present-day industrial relations.
“The Union leadership under my watch has surpassed the benchmarks we set for ourselves as excellence.
“Our results speaks volumes for us such that even in the eyes of the storm ,we have kept our peace and so our focus didnot shift”she said.
Mrs Ikpaikpa also charged the management of Various River Basin Development Authorities to undertake critical assesment of the needs of their catchment areas during planning.
“Funds earmarked for projects and other development initiatives should be judiciously used for massive turnaround of facilities in our host communities”, she said.
She commended members for their support so far,and also solicited their sustained cooperation to management to enable it achieve set objectives.
State chairman of National Union of Agriculture and Allied Employees Chuku Emecheta ,represented at the event also pledged the readiness of the union to improve the conditions of members.

By: John Bibor