The Irrigation Company of Upper Regions (ICOUR) has officially named Charles Aboyella as its acting Managing Director (MD), following a dramatic sequence of events that saw his predecessor, Benedict Bonaventure Aligebam, forced out by workers.
In recent weeks, tensions had escalated at ICOUR’s offices, culminating in an assertive move by members of the General Agricultural Workers’ Union (GAWU) under the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
Led by Jibril Adams, the ICOUR branch chairman, the union members padlocked Aligebam’s office in a bid to compel him to vacate his position, citing his overdue mandatory retirement.
Their drastic action came after repeated notices from the Human Resources Department, the ICOUR Board Chairman, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, and even the Chief of Staff, all urging Aligebam to step down.
Despite these directives, the former MD had refused to relinquish his role, prompting workers to take matters into their own hands.
On Monday (11 November), Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper East Regional Minister and ICOUR Board Chairman, arrived at the company’s premises, flanked by security personnel, to officially announce Aligebam’s dismissal. However, the ousted MD was notably absent.
In his absence, Salih named Charles Aboyella, a long-serving staff member, as the acting managing director.
“I have informed the former MD, Dr. Aligebam, but unfortunately, he is not here with us,” Salih said. “However, we will not allow an individual to slow down this process.”
While workers have since removed the locks on the former MD’s office, it remains shut as Aligebam has yet to return company property and formally hand over.
According to sources within ICOUR, the board chairman, in coordination with the principal state prosecutor for the Upper East Region, is preparing to break into the office to take an inventory.
In the wake of the change in leadership, Aboyella expressed gratitude for the workers’ backing and promised to work diligently.
“For me, it is a duty conferred on me and management. All I can say now is, I will do my best and ask for the support of everybody—all stakeholders,” he told reporters.
The workers rallied behind Aboyella during his introduction, echoing their readiness to support the new leadership.
“We pledged our support to the acting MD in this role. He has our support, and we will give him all the cooperation he needs,” one worker shared.
The Upper East Regional Minister expressed optimism that this new appointment would bring stability to the company and shift the narrative surrounding ICOUR.
The organisation has frequently found itself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. “All that we expect is for the narrative to change. ICOUR has been in the news for negative reasons for a very long time,” Salih remarked.
From today, it is my expectation that any news coming from this place will be beneficial not only to ICOUR but to the region as a whole.”
Reporting by Mark Smith in the Upper East Region
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