Ogun-Osun River Basin: Tinubu removes Wike’s ally after protests

President Bola Tinubu has removed Chukwuemeka Woke as Managing Director (MD) of the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority (OORBDA).

Woke was Chief of Staff to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, when he was governor of Rivers State.

Tinubu had appointed him as head of the authority on May 9, 2024.

However, the appointment was greeted with protests as some groups and individuals said it was against the principle of familiarity and regional representation.

In a statement on Wednesday, Ajuri Ngelale, presidential spokesman, announced that Woke had been replaced with Dr. Adedeji Ashiru.

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Ngelale said Tinubu had moved Woke to the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) as the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer.

The statement read: “Engr. Woke, besides being an engineer, is an environmental specialist and politician. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical/Petrochemical Engineering, and had served under the Environmental, Safety, and Operations Departments of the then Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

“He was Chairman of Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State and Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, for many years.

“Dr. Ashiru holds a Doctorate degree in Engineering from the Commonwealth University, UK, and has led a consortium of blue-chip companies, in addition to earning many stripes in his professional endeavour.

“The president expects the new Chief Executive Officers to deploy their competencies to these critical agencies for sustainable gains and turnaround, while maintaining utmost transparency in their operations.”