A former managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, has strongly responded to false claims made by former minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, urging him to “grow up and stop all these lies”. In a personal statement released on Saturday, Ms Usman lamented the habitual nature of Amaechi’s deceptive tactics and urged him to refrain from spreading falsehood.
In her response, Ms Usman referred to Amaechi’s long history of manipulating facts and talking out of turn, recounting the time he brazenly claimed not to like money despite his public conduct suggesting otherwise. She emphasized that nothing he says should come as a surprise to Nigerians. Furthermore, she pointed out that Amaechi’s recent statements merely reiterated what she had already disclosed in her memoir, “Stepping on Toes: My Odyssey at the Nigerian Ports Authority”. The book, available since April 2023, reveals the truth about the events surrounding her “stepping aside” and eventual exit as Managing Director of the NPA.
Addressing Amaechi’s accusation that she awarded a contract worth N2.8 billion, Ms Usman clarified that this claim was false and not mentioned in the list of infractions conveyed to her in a query from the Administrative Panel of Inquiry. She clarified that the only issue related to a contract award in the query was the emergency purchase of operational vehicles following the vandalization of the NPA headquarters in Lagos. Ms Usman explained that the procurement was made in accordance with the Public Procurement Act and the details can be found between pages 166 and 171 of her book.
Amaechi also mentioned waivers, which were addressed in the FMOT query. Ms Usman urged him to review pages 171-175 of her book, where she explained the circumstances and justifications behind all waivers granted by the NPA. She further refuted Amaechi’s misrepresentation of Query C, which alleged the “unilateral execution of a supplemental agreement” concerning the Lekki Deep Sea Port Concession Project. Her response to this query can be found on pages 163-165.
Ms Usman disputed Amaechi’s claim that she was indicted on ten counts, as she had not been informed of any indictments personally. She challenged him to specify whether these counts included the alleged non-remittance of N165 billion in operating surpluses to the Consolidated Revenue Fund, a claim for which he sought President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval to investigate the NPA’s accounts. She questioned why this weighty allegation did not appear in the query she received from the Ministry after the panel concluded its work.
She countered Amaechi’s claim that he was withholding the panel report to protect prominent Nigerians who did not “look for his trouble,” suggesting that accountability should not be dependent on personal relationships. Ms Usman stated that the details of the alleged infractions were published in her book on pages 157-179, and she questioned why Amaechi was the only one with access to the report.
Expressing her disappointment, Ms Usman criticized Amaechi for treating the official report as his personal document and using it to grandstand and blackmail others. She urged him to follow the proper procedure for government documents and make copies available to individuals implicated in the report. She dismissed his suggestions of stolen copies and expressed concern about the inappropriate behavior surrounding public office.
Regarding Amaechi’s complaint about not receiving a birthday gift from her, Ms Usman dismissed it as a trivial issue but questioned why it should be automatically expected for anyone to give birthday presents to superiors. She emphasized that entitlement was the root cause of misbehavior among public officials and stated that no one owed Amaechi anything.
In conclusion, Ms Usman acknowledged that Amaechi would have his own perspective on the events that transpired during her five-year tenure at the NPA. However, she urged him to stick to the facts and refrain from arbitrary statements and falsehoods. She emphasized that attempts to discredit her would not deter her from serving Nigeria diligently.
