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How Suspended Ports Authority MD, Usman, Awarded Contracts To Cronies Without Ministry’s Approval

Usman, according to documents, single-handedly awarded and approved contracts without the knowledge and approval of the supervisory Ministry of Transportation.

More Facts have emerged as to the various infractions committed by Hadiza Bala Usman, the suspended Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority.

Contrary to the claims by Hadiza Bala Usman in a statement she signed in response to reports in the media, Usman, according to documents, single-handedly awarded and approved contracts without the knowledge and approval of the supervisory Ministry of Transportation.

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In the documents obtained by SaharaReporters, the suspended MD gave the Onne port Berth 9, 10 and 11 to her cronies without the knowledge and approval of the Ministry of Transportation.
“She has no powers to do that without involving her supervisory Ministry of Transportation. Even in this case, there was a court order from Intels, the original owners of the three berths, stopping NPA from going ahead but she ignored it and still went ahead to give the 3 berths to ICTNL.

“In another recent instance, Hadiza advertised, seeking for bids, and open the bids for Proposals (Technical) on the Engagement of Technical Auditors on Dredging and Channel Management of Lagos, Bonny/Port Harcourt and Warri/Escravos Pilotage Districts, even after she had been directed by the Ministry of Transportation to stop and not to award the contract.

“The ministry wanted NPA to carry out the service internally, which would save the country tens of millions of dollars. More so, NPA had the capacity to do it; all it needed to do was to buy the equipment it needed to carry out the service. But Hadiza completed disregarded the directive.

“She was in the process of awarding the contract before she was suspended. The contract runs into millions of dollars annually and she was about giving it out for about ten years, supposedly to her cronies,” sources who released the documents explained to SaharaReporters.

SaharaReporters had last Monday also reported that some stakeholders in the Nigerian ports petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Inspector-General of Police to investigate Usman over alleged disappearance of over N20 billion under her watch.

In a petition signed by the stakeholders, Comrades Olayiwole Oke, Charles Dike and Musa Yola, and obtained by SaharaReporters, the stakeholders had noted that a “mind-boggling N20 billion of NPA’s financial transactions between 2016 and 2018 could not be traced, documented, or explained.”

They urged the agencies to carry out a detailed investigation of the NPA in their petition which they copied to the Office of the President among others.

“The alleged corrupt practices are; awarding Cargo Surveys Contracts to Unqualified Companies and to self through her Brother Attahiru and acolytes for 10 years; two, Corporate Social Responsibility projects that are supposed to serve as palliatives for communities impacted by port operations were turned into a jamboree and avenue for indiscriminate award of inflated contracts at all locations in Contravention of Procurement Laws and Extant Financial Rules and above the MD’s Financial Limits.

“Most contracts in NPA allegedly being awarded to her brother, Alhaji Attahiru, through many phony companies and other fronts.

“Others were; misleading the Board into approving promotions for select officers over their seniors through improper placement and promotion in contravention of Federal Government circular referenced FC.6243/S.1/Vol.XV111/5 of 28th May, 2010 and the Presidential Directive conveyed vide letter referenced PRES/30-1 dated 20th September, 2004.

“The NPA under Hadiza Bala Usman was also accused of” excessive increase in administrative operational expenses” extra budgetary expenditures on hotel accommodation and under disclosure of expenditures on hotel expenses”, Corporate social Responsibility Projects, diversion of funds through the Nigerian Port Today, to the sponsorship of National Assembly Programmes, amongst other.

“In 2016, the NPA spent N286,412,628.00 on CSR while in 2017, the figure rose to N2,496,248,775.00 and N5 billion in 2018. The Audit team found out that “beneficiary needs were not properly assessed or identified before the implementation of CSR projects/ programmes,” they had said.