Amaechi lied — I never awarded N2.8bn contract as NPA boss, says Hadiza Bala Usman

Hadiza Bala Usman, special adviser to the president on policy coordination, has responded to the allegations made against her by Rotimi Amaechi.

Speaking at a lecture on Thursday, the former minister of transportation had alleged, among other things, that Bala Usman gave approval for a contract worth N2.8bn during her time as managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

Bala-Usman was suspended as managing director of the NPA in 2021 and was replaced by Mohammed Bello-Koko in 2022.

Her suspension was recommended by Amaechi who alleged that the agency, under her watch, failed to remit N165 billion operating surplus to the coffers of the federal government.

Bala Usman was later exonerated by an administrative panel of inquiry set up to investigate the alleged mismanagement.

In her book, ‘Stepping on Toes’, published in April, the ex-NPA boss opened up on her falling out with Amaechi.

However, Amaechi countered most of the book’s narratives, saying they are false.

Reacting in a statement on Saturday, Bala Usman said: “I don’t know where the former Minister got his N2.8b figure from since this accusation was nowhere in the list of infractions conveyed to me in a query arising from the reports of the Administrative Panel of Inquiry he set up.

“The only issue relating to a contract award in the query was about the emergency purchase of operational vehicles following the vandalisation of the premises of the Marina, Lagos headquarters of the NPA on October 21, 2020.

“This subject was addressed in Query E with the title: “Unilateral and improper use of the emergency procurement mode to procure vehicles”.

“Here, the management of the NPA was accused of making the emergency purchase of operational vehicles to the tune of One Billion, Two Hundred and Seventy-Seven Million, Six Hundred and Sixty Nine Thousand, One Hundred and Eighty-Three Naira Ninety Five Kobo(N1,277,669,183.95), without approval from the Federal Executive Council.

“In my response to the query of the N1.2billion expenditure, I explained that we made the procurement pursuant to the provisions of Sections 43 (1) (a), (2), (3) and (4) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007 (PPA) which allows procuring entities to purchase items due to the emergency nature of the need and obtain the necessary approval upon conclusion of the procurement. The response to the query, including the approval obtained and the alleged inflation of the cost of the vehicles, are all detailed between pages 166- 171 of the book.”

Bala Usman also denied Amaechi’s claim that she was indicted on 10 counts.

“I do not know what these ten counts are, because no one communicated any such indictments to me,” she said.