The effective suspension of Mrs. Hadiza Bala-Usman as Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) came as a shock to many Nigerians as her removal was not expected.
Announcing her suspension on Thursday, Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, said this was to allow for an administrative panel of inquiry to investigate the “management”.
However, what seemed to be amiss was that except Bala-Usman, all members of the management who were appointed by Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, were not suspended.
Sources familiar with the development have told TheCable that Bala-Usman, has been having a cold battle with Amaechi, noting that she is the target of the investigation.
Mohammed Koko, who was the Zenith Bank accounts officer to Rivers state government when Amaechi was governor, has been named as the Managing Director of the NPA.
Two members on the administrative panel named so far are from the ministry and will be chaired by the director of marine services, who is also a member of the NPA board.
Amaechi nominated Bala Usman as NPA MD in 2016 having worked with her on President Buhari’s campaign team in 2015. Prior to that, she was the chief of staff to the Kaduna state governor, Nasir el-Rufai.
Sources stated that the relationship between Amaechi and Bala-Usman went sour over the years, as Hadiza was said to be pursuing an independent path on many controversial issues, including Intels and the port logistics company with a monopoly over the highly lucrative oil and gas cargoes.
Amaechi asked NPA that all matters relating to Intels be dropped, including a case in court, a directive that is yet to be implemented.
A source in the Ministry of Transport told TheCable:
“The honorable minister has been complaining that Hadiza is arrogant and he would cut her wings one of these days. He said she takes her memos directly to the president because she has access, and this is undermining him.
“The honorable minister had told us that Hadiza would not get a second term, but we were all surprised when President Buhari announced her re-appointment as far back as January — six clear months to the expiration of her tenure. The minister felt humiliated because he was the one that was supposed to make the recommendation based on the law.”
Insiders say Amaechi has been looking for a way to oust Bala-Usman from the NPA and became even more zealous after she was reappointed to head the agency in January 2021.
In March, Amaechi wrote a letter to the president complaining that NPA had not remitted an “operating surplus of N165 billion to the consolidated revenue fund account (CFR) from 2o16 till date”, citing information from the budget office.
He recommended an audit of the “account and remittance” of NPA for the period, which Buhari approved on March 17.
“Buhari has particularly peeved anytime an issue of non-remittance is raised with him, and Amaechi understood the game very well,” a presidency insider told TheCable.
“It was also the same issue of non-remittance of proceeds of assets sold by the EFCC that led to the removal of Ibrahim Magu. The fastest way to get anyone sacked by Buhari is to build an argument around non-remittance or corruption,” a source in the Presidency told the publication.
The sources alleged that since Minister’s audit strategy was filled with hitches, he restrategized by setting up an administrative panel, which he can do without needing the help of any auditors or other agencies.
“The minister felt the auditing angle was not feasible but he got legal advice that an administrative panel would help achieve the same thing,” the source in the Transport Ministry added.