‘Stepping on Toes’: Hadiza Bala Usman is an iron lady, says Shettima

Kashim Shettima, vice president-elect, has commended Hadiza Bala Usman, former managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), on the release of her book.

The book, ‘Stepping on Toes: My Odyssey at the Nigerian Ports Authority’, details her experience at the NPA.

Bala Usman documented her friction with Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation, who recommended her exit from the agency over allegations that she failed to remit N165 billion operating surplus to the coffers of the federal government.

In the book, she accused the former minister of swaying governors and other government officials to rise against her.

“The governors’ team met the minister to discuss a resolution of the matter. He insisted that my management of the NPA had to be investigated because of the amount unremitted to the CFR (consolidated federation revenue). He even tried to sway the governors’ resolve by suggesting to them that the budget of the NPA was bigger than most of their state budgets, so they shouldn’t bother about me,” Bala Usman wrote.

“When the governors persisted, he told them that the matter was no longer within his purview and that they may need to approach the head of service of the federation.

“He 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.”

Speaking on Saturday during the book’s reading session in Abuja, Shettima described the former NPA MD as an iron lady.

“She is an iron lady, I don’t think I have the courage to write such a book. Be that as it may, I am here in solidarity with our sister. We need to show empathy and support for our women,” she said.

“There is a popular saying among the people of Ghana that if you educate a man, you have educated an individual, if you educate a woman, you have educated a nation.”

He commended Bala Usman for her feat as the first female MD of NPA and said the incoming Bola Tinubu administration will give priority to gender-based issues.

“Be rest assured that the incoming administration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu will be gender-friendly,” he said.

“He was the first governor to appoint a female as his deputy; he is also the first person to appoint a woman as a chief judge of a state. Be rest assured that we will observe the rule of law.”