A new book by a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, interestingly places former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi in the middle of alleged contract irregularities.
Such allegations concerning the ex-minister are not new. For instance, his controversial 2021 rail security equipment proposal to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) when he was in office is still fresh in mind.
This time, according to the ex-NPA boss in her memoir titled ‘Stepping on Toes: My Odyssey at the Nigerian Ports Authority,’ Amaechi had pursued her removal from the agency because “two of the most important contracts in the authority were due for renewal.”
She wrote: “The first of this was the capital dredging contract and the second, the service boat management contract. While the minister demanded an extension of tenure of the companies providing capital dredging services without due process, he got approval for the restoration of an expired service boat contract. He got this even though the company was owing the federal government, had violated the Treasury Single Account policy, and above all longer had any contract with the NPA. I thought that his desperation to keep me out of office was to an end.”
Amaechi played a major role in the events leading to her eventual removal from office, she claimed. ”Without raising any queries about the matter with the NPA, Amaechi wrote to the President informing him of shortfalls in yearly remittance of operating surplus by the NPA between 2016 and 2020.”
Bala Usman was suspended from office in May 2021, and Amaechi set up an administrative panel of inquiry to investigate the affairs of the NPA, including awards of contracts from 2016 to May 2021. He also asked the panel to “examine and investigate compliance with communication channels as obtained in the public service.”
The investigation lasted about nine months, and failed to prove the allegation of non-remittance. But this did not save Bala Usman. She lost her position as NPA boss.
She was appointed to the position by President Buhari in July 2016, and reappointed in January 2021. Interestingly, she said Amaechi was instrumental in her appointment. She wrote: “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.
“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!”
When their friendship went sour, she claimed that Amaechi had told ”another person who tried to intervene that I was so selfish that I did nothing for him from the NPA, and never even gave him a birthday present!”
According to her, she learnt lessons from her NPA experience. “In the days after my suspension from office, many of those you would have expected to intervene did not,” she wrote.
“People apparently saw the former Minister of Transportation as a very influential member of government and did not want to antagonise him.
“They also saw him as a potential presidential candidate for 2023 hence the need to align with him in the pursuit of his ambition. People are governed by self-interest and I learned to manage my expectations of people, some were keen to keep their relationship intact, something you didn’t do enough for them to deserve their support, while others will conclude that you should deal with your issues alone.”
Indeed, Amaechi wanted to be president, but failed in the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary to choose the ruling party’s presidential candidate.
The author wrote: “When I was appointed, all I wanted to do was to work with other stakeholders to build the Authority (NPA) into an institution which adheres strictly to procedures. I had hoped that we could restore the confidence of Nigerians and the international community in the ability of our public sector to deliver.
“I had no doubt that I would get all the support needed to achieve this goal since our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), committed itself to changing Nigeria.”
According to her, she “found it incomprehensible that a minister could ask that we stop a public tender process and instead appoint a company whose contract had also expired without a tender process. I found the whole situation baffling.”
A year ago, many Nigerians were similarly baffled when it was reported, based on leaked minutes of a FEC meeting, dated September 24, 2021, that Amaechi, who was then a minister, had unsuccessfully sought approval for a curious rail security equipment contract.
Importantly, Mogjan Nigeria Limited, which he had recommended for the contract worth N3.7bn, had a deficient profile. It was incorporated on August 6, 2019, by Prince Godwin Momoh, Chioma Momoh and George Momoh, and had a turnover of N84.9m.
Available information about the company attracted suspicion. A ”top Presidency official” was quoted as saying “We had doubts about the capability of a company, which was formed less than two years prior and had no track record of handling a contract of N3.7bn or a contract on surveillance systems. The company was also to be paid up front. Our investigation pointed to a conflict of interest.”
The mention of a possible conflict of interest was striking. An article by Paul Catchick in Fraud magazine titled ‘Conflict of interest – Gateway to Corruption’ is illuminating. He explained: “A conflict of interest exists where an official could abuse his or her position for private gain, whereas corruption exists where an official does abuse his or her position for private gain. Thus, while a conflict of interest doesn’t always lead to corruption, corruption always requires a conflict of interest.”
There is no doubt that Amaechi has a lot of explaining to do, following Bala Usman’s portrayal of him in her 200-page memoir. His spokesperson, David Iyofor, was reported saying the ex-minister’s team would issue a comprehensive response to the memoir after reading it, adding “As at now, we are still looking for the book.” The attentive public is waiting to hear Amaechi’s version of what happened.
•Written by Femi Macaulay
