Former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman, has responded to allegations made by former Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, at an annual lecture. Amaechi had accused Bala Usman of presenting a false narrative in her book, “Stepping on Toes: My Odyssey at the Nigerian Ports Authority.” He stated that her book contained numerous lies. Amaechi alleged that while she was the NPA Managing Director with an N2.5 million approval limit, she approved a N2.4 billion contract.
In her response, Bala Usman criticized Amaechi’s comments and urged him to stop spreading falsehoods. She stated that her book had already addressed the issues raised by Amaechi and that there was no new information in his allegations. She clarified that the figure Amaechi mentioned was not in the list of infractions mentioned in a query from the Administrative Panel of Inquiry he established.
Bala Usman explained that she had addressed the issues raised in Amaechi’s lecture in her book, including the emergency purchase of operational vehicles and waivers. She stated that Amaechi had misrepresented the facts regarding various allegations and questioned the secrecy around the panel report.