PDP demands prosecution of Bala Usman, Amaechi’s investigation

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately prosecute the sacked Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman.

President, Muhammadu Buhari, had on July 12 in an affidavit filed at the Federal High Court, Lagos, confirmed the termination of the appointment of the embattled Managing Director.

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The party, in a statement by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the prosecution is over the exposed looting of N165 billion in the agency.

The statement read: “The party insists that President Muhammadu Buhari should not just ‘ease out’ Bala Usman, but must go head 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 also urged the EFCC to beam its searchlight on the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, under whose 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 the 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, standing with Nigerians, 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,” the statement added.