Ex-Minister Amaechi says Bala-Usman told ‘too many lies’ about her removal as NPA MD

For the first time, Rotimi Amaechi, the former minister of transportation in Nigeria, on Thursday, addressed the claims that he forced Hadiza Bala-Usman, the former managing director of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), out of office due to personal animosities.

HeI made this disclosure in Lagos at an annual lecture organised by The Niche on the theme: “Why we stride and slip: Leadership, Nationalism and the Nigerian condition”.

In her April book “Stepping on Toes: My Odyssey at the Nigerian Ports Authority,” Ms. Bala-Usman wrote about her experiences and difficulties leading the NPA as well as the charges that ultimately resulted in her dismissal from the position.

She claimed that Mr. Amaechi was behind her dismissal since she hadn’t showered him with gifts for his birthday.

In May 2021, Ms. Usman was placed on administrative leave after Mr. Amaechi asked President Muhammadu to look into the NPA’s financial records.

The NPA was accused with failing to deposit over N165 billion in operating surpluses into the federation’s Consolidated Revenue Fund Account by Mr. Amaechi, the minister in charge of overseeing the NPA at the time.

Read Also: Appeal Court nullifies arrest warrant against Amaechi, 2 others

Addressing the allegations in the book for the first time, Mr Amaechi said he had spent the past months contemplating on whether or not he should respond because “the lies were just too many.”

He said, “There is a huge debate in the past six months whether I should respond or not. I said I would respond today but 90 percent said I should not.

“The lies were too many. For instance, she claimed she was not invited by the panel. I even came with the memo of the president, where the president endorsed her removal.

“Count one is in the question of the fact that the panel says she is guilty; count two is due to the fact that a Managing Director of NPA with N2.5m approval limit can approve N2.8b contract with no appropriation.

“Why is that document not published because prominent Nigerians are involved. She gave waivers to prominent Nigerians, which she has no power to give and these are dollars accruable to Nigeria’s economy but she was bold to write a book or is it a pamphlet and Nigerians are following her, launching the book, so how will Nigeria move forward?

“But let’s wait until they bring the original copy because if I give you the photocopy, you will say it is fake. I will show you the original but I won’t allow you to read it because you would see the names of those prominent Nigerians that were indicted by the panel. I will rather read the areas that concern her and leave those prominent Nigerians, they didn’t look for my trouble.

“But to show you how bad the situation was for me as the Minister of Transport, the Federal Executive Council, FEC, the President and Vice President including the Minister of Transport will approve an agreement for Lekki Deep Sea Port, the MD of NPA will change it and when queried, she will say for national interest, so we are for Biafra interest?” he asked.

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