The immediate past managing director of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman, has disclosed that she turned down the offer to be appointed director general of the Nigerian Marítime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), in 2015 and recommended the former director general, Dr Dakuku Peterside.
Related Posts
In her book released earlier this week, titled, ‘Stepping On Toes: My Odyssey At NPA’, and a copy made available to BUSINESSINSIDERNG, Bala-Usman wrote that the former minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, had wanted her to be the NIMASA DG but she advised that someone from his political camp is Rivers State should be appointed.
According to her, she specifically mentioned Dakuku because he was a loyal member of the former Minister’s team.
“A couple of months earlier, Rt. Hon. Amaechi had called to request that I submit my resume for nomination for the position of Director- General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). I told him that I did not want the position and that he should recommend someone from his Rivers State team.
“I suggested that he consider Dr. Dakuku Peterside, the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Rivers State in the 2015 elections. I was of the view that he was a loyal member of his team and qualified for the position. I thought his appointment would reassure APC members in Rivers State that they were regarded and remained in the mainstream of things in spite of losing the gubernatorial election.”
According to Bala-Usman, the minister later commended her for recommending Dakuku, saying that boosted the morale of the party members in Rivers.
“The Minister was surprised that anyone would reject such an appointment and instead, recommend someone else. He told me pointedly that it was a rare occurrence in the country and that he truly respected me for my decision. He would come back to me weeks after Dakuku was appointed to thank me for the advice, and that the appointment had boosted the morale of APC members in Rivers state immeasurably.”
Meanwhile, the former managing director, stated that while she was told of her appointment as MD of NPA, her erstwhile boss, Nasir el-Rufai, was not in the country and she had to inform him.
“I immediately realised that I needed to brace up to the challenge of heading a frontline agency in a largely unfamiliar industry. 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. I thanked him for counting me worthy of the appointment and the call ended.
“I ruminated over our discussion for the next few minutes, I thought about how external factors can affect the lives of human beings, how the latest turn of events would disrupt my already laid out plans just as I was settling down, and what I needed to do to hand over properly. My thoughts were racing but I realised that the first thing to do was to inform Governor el-Rufai. I turned to my laptop and started typing an email to him as he was away in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.”
