Hadiza Bala-Usman’s appointment at NPA sparks controversy

The recent appointment of Hadiza Bala-Usman, one of the major promoters of Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group as Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is generating unease in the Transport Ministry, Ripples Nigeria investigations reveal.

The Presidency last Wednesday formally announced its offer to Bala-Usman, ending weeks of speculations as to what Buhari wants to do with an organization that had become a thorn in its flesh. Five days earlier, July 8 to be precise, the BBOG led by its arrow-head, Oby Ezekwesili, had roundly condemned the administration as a ‘disappointment.’

The government offer is seen by many as a bait and deliberate move to placate the outspoken group, and or out rightly break its ranks. Indeed, close supporters of the administration are said to have long marked Ezekwesili for the sidelines having shown ‘unnecessary stubbornness’ and causing President Buhari serious embarrassments.

At the NPA where Bala-Usman has seized the reins of power, insiders tell Ripples Nigeria that her arrival may be intended to check-mate the Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, whose portfolio effectively puts him in charge of some of the richest and most influential agencies in the country.

The National Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and NPA are revenue generating giants, though both have been centres of notorious and massive looting of the nation’s resources in the last decade.

Sources close to the Presidency say that Buhari is wary of allowing Amaechi unfettered control of the transport ministry even though the priced agencies under the care of the former Rivers State helmsman are seen as his ‘reward for deploying all resources and energy’ to ensure Buhari’s victory at the polls.

Read also: Due reward? Buhari appoints BBOG leader, Hadiza Bala-Usman, NPA MD

To secure NIMASA, Amaechi appointed his closest ally and former gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Dakuku Peterside, as Director-General. The appointment of Hadiza Bala-Usman effectively puts paid to Amaechi’s plan to install another surrogate in the transport ministry, industry watchers confided in Ripples Nigeria.

The plot to whittle down Amaechi’s influence, especially with regards to the choice of a helmsman for NPA, is said not to have gone down well within his camp. Of major concern to the group is El-Rufai’s seeming overbearing influence in Bala-Usman’s appointment and the closeness of the appointee to the northern power bloc.

Bala-Usman worked at Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) from July 2000 to August 2004 as Enterprise Officer and was hired by the UNDP for the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) from October 2004 to January 2008 as Special Assistant on Project Implementation to the then Minister, Nasir El-Rufai.

She was, between 2011 and 2015 the Director of Strategy of the Good Governance Group, a non-governmental organisation founded by Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and his friends before her appointment as Chief of Staff.

While Oby Ezekwesili is yet to react to the loss of a crucial ally in the BBOG struggle, Amaechi is said to be quietly licking his wounds and mapping out strategies for the post-ministerial era.

‘Amaechi is obviously concerned about life after serving out his tenure as Minister. The APC government led by Buhari knows his capabilities and capacity, and the value he brings to the table. The party will do nothing to embarrass him,’ a source close to him said.

Meanwhile, a group calling itself Maritime Watchdog, has voiced strong reservations over the new appointments at NPA. It said on Sunday, ‘We would not fight tribe as regards to appointment, we would fight incompetence, and our contention here is that the new appointments in the NPA are not based on competence but on an unknown presidency’s private agenda.’

How this group pursues its agenda in the days and weeks ahead will only add to the unending intrigues over Hadiza Bala-Usman’s appointment as the MD of NPA.

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