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General News of Friday, 23 July 2021

Source: naijanews.com

NPA Looting: PDP demands prosecution of Hadiza Bala Usman, investigation of Amaechi

Rotimi Amaechi, Hadiza Bala Usman Rotimi Amaechi, Hadiza Bala Usman

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the prosecution of the now sacked Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, over the alleged N165 billion fraud in the agency.

The PDP also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate the supervising minister for the agency, Rotimi Amaechi.

The major opposition party in a statement on Thursday signed by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan said Buhari should not sweep the matter under the carpet.

Naija News recalls there is an existing controversy surrounding the mismanagement of funds at the NPA which has caused a lot of claims and counter-claims between Usman and Amaechi but eventually resulting in her suspension from office to allow for proper investigation.

But the PDP has now demanded further action be taken on the matter by the President as well as the EFCC rather than shielding those indicted from prosecution.

The PDP in its statement demanded “the immediate prosecution of indicted and now sacked Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, over exposed looting of over N165 billion in the agency.”

It also said President Muhammadu Buhari should not just “ease out Bala Usman, but must go ahead to prosecute her over the alleged looting including revelations from the office of the Auditor General, which also unearthed the alleged stealing of unremitted deductions to Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) amounting to N3,667,750,470. $148,845,745.04, Euro 4,891,449.50 and £252,682.14 during her watch at NPA.”

The PDP charges the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately take in Bala Usman for questioning and prosecution over the alleged fraud, including the reported stealing of N15.18 billion through alleged shady Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects by the NPA.

The party further charged the EFCC to extend its searchlight on the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, under whose ministerial watch the alleged looting in NPA was perpetrated.

The PDP restates that the fact that it took the minister a clear six years (2016 to 2021) to query the NPA Managing Director, over looting of N165 billion unremitted operational surplus of the agency, raises public apprehensions of an afterthought, which only came after indicting audit documents had already been exposed.

The PDP added that “standing with Nigerians, (it) will continue to closely monitor the actions of the Buhari administration and resist attempts by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to sweep the matter under the carpet in the desperation to shield many of its leaders involved in the reckless looting in the NPA, particularly, finances relating to the 2019 elections sleaze funds.”

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force has said that Nigeria has received the first batch of A-29 Super Tucano aircraft procured from the United States of America.

A statement signed by NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said the aircraft arrived in Kano State at about 12.34 p.m on Thursday.