The immediate past Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman, has shed light on the circumstances surrounding her removal from office. In her recently released book titled “Stepping on Toes,” Bala-Usman provides detailed insights into the intrigues that led to her exit from the NPA.
She reveals how she encountered powerful forces while carrying out her duties, with a particular focus on the role played by the former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi. Bala-Usman discloses that one of the reasons she was targeted by Amaechi was her failure to give him a birthday present.
According to her, after her suspension in May 2021, several prominent individuals, including governors, the Customs boss, and leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), attempted to intervene and resolve the matter. However, Amaechi refused their entreaties and insisted on investigating her management of the NPA, citing alleged unremitted funds to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF). He even attempted to undermine the governors’ concerns by belittling the NPA budget in comparison to their state budgets.
Bala-Usman further reveals that the former minister accused her of non-remittance of operating surplus and sought the President’s approval for her removal. She explains that Amaechi obtained details of the NPA’s operating surpluses from the Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, without raising any queries with the NPA itself. However, the subsequent probe panel did not find her guilty of any wrongdoing.
In the book, the former NPA boss who revealed issues behind the dredging of the Calabar Channel, said by the end of her first six months as managing director/CEO of the NPA, it was obvious to her that she was going to be swimming with sharks.
She said, although she had some inkling of irregularities, there was no way of knowing the pervasiveness until one got into the system. Usman said dredging of the four ports would throw up additional risks with attendant increase in insurance premiums due to insecurity issues and inadequate road infrastructure. “In addition, decisions as to the destination of cargoes are at the discretion of the consignee.
To that effect, consideration for the cost of transportation of cargo to the ultimate destination is a major factor in reaching a decision. Lagos remains the commercial capital of the country and most consignees prefer to ship their goods through the Lagos ports where there are ready consumers. Goods designated for other parts of the country are then transported by road by middlemen or directly to consumers”.
She further explained in chapter seven of the book that, there is the vexed issue of the shallow draughts of the ports outside Lagos, except for the Onne Ports, which she said has an average depth of 12 metres. She said none of the eastern ports has a draught deeper than 8 metres, and that even the 8 metres was achieved at the Warri Port with the Escravos Channel in 2019. Usman said the answer to the question why NPA hasn’t dredged the Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt and Calabar Ports, is that the ports are currently river-based ports with limitations of depth because of the design depth of the quay structure.
Usman said her problems started in 2017, when her office received a letter from the Ministry of Transportation, entitled: ‘Joint Venture Partnership between the Nigerian Ports Authority and Messrs. Niger Global Engineering and Technical Company Ltd on the Management of the Calabar Channel,’ with a petition attached by the minister from the law firm of Martin Aguda & Co.
“The law firms were solicitors to Messrs. Niger Global Engineering and Technical Company Ltd and requested the minister’s intervention in their client’s claim for the sum of $22m purportedly owed to their client by the NPA.”
She said upon investigation as directed by the minister of transportation, the authority found no proof of the work that the company claimed to have executed, even though they had already received the sum of $12.5m. She said NPA set up a committee, which discovered several irregularities surrounding the work and that the NPA was therefore constrained to decline the request for payment and instead, demand a refund of the sum previously paid. In chapter 8 of the book, Usman spoke about the Integrated Logistics (INTELS) boat service contract.
She said, “The Nigerian government adopted the landlord ports model, which allows for separate roles and tasks between public and private sectors. 25 private terminal operators out of about one hundred bids received for the three major categories of cargo that were established in accordance with global best practices emerged from this exercise. INTELS was one of these 25 terminal operators,” she added.
She said the company is better known for the service boat operations management, which was a constant source of altercations between NPA and INTELS from 2017 until the end of her tenure. How she got the appointment as NPA MD On how she got the appointment as NPA MD, Bala Usan said that Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the then- Minister of Transportation, nominated her for the position. It was speculated on assumption of office that Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, whom she was serving as Chief of Staff influenced the plum job for her, a position that has never been occupied by a woman in the annals of NPA.
“I was surprised. It was the last thing I expected at this time, just as I was settling into my role as the Chief of Staff, she revealed in her book ‘Stepping on Toes, my odyssey at the NPA.
“As Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, the workload was enormous. I usually did not take most calls until I accomplished my daily deliverables. But this was no random call.
“It was Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, who until a couple of months back, was the man I worked for in the Campaign Directorate for the Muhammadu Buhari 2015 Presidential campaign.
“Good morning, sir, “I said as I picked up the phone with a smile. “How are you, Hadiza?”, he responded. “I am fine, thank you, sir. How are you too?”
“The President has approved your appointment as Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority; you have to start work immediately!
“Before he hung up, I asked if he had told my boss, Governor el-Rufai about the appointment and he replied in the negative.
He reiterated the need for me to come over to the ministry and see the permanent secretary, whose duty it was to facilitate my resumption at the NPA.
