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Bala-Usman suspended till panel concludes investigations – FG
Okechukwu Nnodim
Okechukwu Nnodim
Published 12 May 2021
The Federal Government on Tuesday said Hadiza Bala-Usman would remain suspended from office as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority until the outcome of the investigation being done by the panel that was established to probe her activities.
On Monday the Federal Government inaugurated the panel of enquiry on the management of the NPA and ordered the panel to investigate policies of Bala-Usman, who was suspended last week for allegedly failing to make required remittances to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
The report (not in
The PUNCH) had stated that Amaechi requested that two the Chinese companies should be selected to manage Bonny and Warri channels and that the request was rejected by the NPA because it violated due process.
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other controversial issues contributed to the suspension of Bala Usman as NPA MD.
Reacting to media reports, Magdalene Ajani, permanent secretary, ministry of transportation, in a statement issued on Tuesday, described the allegation that Amaechi recommended two Chinese companies to execute the contracts as a “deliberate attempt to drag the integrity of the minister in the mud.”
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“It is necessary to place on record that while Channel Management contracts have been routinely awarded over the years by the Nigerian Ports Authority at a cost of between 50 and 60 billion naira on an annual basis, the Honourable Minister has adopted a firm position that the NPA should undertake the job of channel management on an in-house basis through the acquisition of the necessary machinery and professional capacity given the humongous annual sums paid out to dredging contractors by the authority,” the statement read.
The ministry of transportation says it objected to the award
of channel management contracts by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) because
it is more cost-effective to procure necessary equipment and execute the
contracts in-house.
Several reports have traced the ‘cold war’ between Rotimi
Amaechi, minister of transportation and Hadiza Bala-Usman, the suspended
managing director of NPA, to the renewal of $1.5 billion channel management
contracts.
Reacting to media reports, Magdalene Ajani, permanent
secretary, ministry of transportation, in a statement issued on Tuesday,
described the allegation that Amaechi recommended two Chinese companies to
execute the contracts as a “deliberate attempt to drag the integrity of the