Buhari suspends Hadiza Bala Usman as NPA MD

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the suspension of Hadiza Bala Usman as the managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

In a statement signed by Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, on Thursday, the suspension followed a recommendation by Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, to set up an administrative panel of inquiry to investigate the management of the NPA.

Buhari also approved the appointment of Mohammed Koko to take over while “the investigation is carried out”.

The panel is to be headed by the director of maritime services in the ministry while the deputy director of legal in the same ministry will serve as secretary.

Other members of the panel will be appointed by the minister.

Bala Usman was first appointed as the NPA MD in July 2016.

In January, President Muhammadu Buhari reappointed her as NPA MD, for an additional five-year tenure.

She previously served as the chief of staff to Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, from 2015 to 2016.

In 2014, she co-founded the Bring Back Our Girls campaign to advocate the rescue of abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

Bala Usman is also a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

NPA recently launched Etó, an electronic truck call-up system, aimed at tackling the perennial logjam caused by articulated trucks within the Apapa ports corridor.