Connect with us

News

Fire for fire: You’re a liar, ex-NPA boss Hadiza Usman replies Amaechi

Published

on

 

Hadiza Usman, former Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), has fired her reply to the former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who accused her of peddling falsehoods about him in her memoirs. She said the former minister’s speech was characterised by “exaggerations, manipulation of the truth and outright lies.”

Ms Usman had written about her experiences as the head of the NPA under Mr Amaechi and how he allegedly orchestrated her removal.

In the book launched in April, she claimed Mr Amaechi wanted her removed at all costs because of personal grudges, including her refusal to lavish him with favours including birthday presents.

Responding to the allegations for the first time since the book was launched, Mr Amaechi said recently at an event that Ms Usman’s book was filled with falsehood so much he contemplated a reply.

Amaechi said Ms Usman’s removal was endorsed by former President Muhammadu Buhari because the panel found her guilty.

He said part of the charges against her was the approval of contracts up to N2.8 billion without appropriation even though her approval limit was N2.5 million.

According to him, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) later found that despite the lack of appropriation, the contract was inflated by N58 million which she was asked to refund.

Amaechi also accused her of granting waivers that are beyond her powers as the head of NAP as well as changing agreements already approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) without consultations.

See also  APC govs meet over Adamu, Omisore’s resignation

Hadiza’s Reply

However, in her reply to Amaechi, Ms Usman also accused him of being economical with the truth.

She said apart from “exaggerations, manipulation of the truth and outright lies” in Amaechi’s speech, there’s nothing she had not addressed in her book if the former minister had cared to read.

She said the allegation of not remitting N165 billion of operating surpluses to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) for which Amaechi sought and obtained former President Buhari’s approval to investigate the accounts of the NPA was not in the queries she received from the ministry.

Ms Usman said the query she received from the Federal Ministry of Transportation and her response was published in her book.

She also denied Amaechi’s claim that she was indicted on some ten counts.

“I do not know what these ten counts are, because no one communicated any such indictments to me,” she said.

She also countered his claims that she awarded contracts worth N2.8 billion without appropriation.

“This is false,” she said, noting there was nothing of such in the list of infractions conveyed to her in a query arising from the reports of the Administrative Panel of Inquiry he set up.

She said the only issue relating to a contract award in the query was about the emergency purchase of operational vehicles for N1.2 billion without approval from the Federal Executive Council.

See also  Campaign council explains Tinubu's absence at Arise/CDD town hall meeting

“In my response to the query of the N1.2 billion expenditure, I explained that we made the procurement pursuant to the provisions of Sections 43 (1) (a), (2), (3) and (4) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007 (PPA) which allows procuring entities to purchase items due to the emergency nature of the need and obtain the necessary approval upon conclusion of the procurement,” she said.

She said her response to the query on the waivers she granted explained the circumstances and justifications for all the waivers granted by the NPA management, and are published in her book.

She also accused the former minister of twisting facts when he spoke about the alleged “unilateral execution” of a supplemental agreement in respect of the Lekki Deep Sea Port Concession Project.

Ms Usman said she had responded that: “The Authority was of the view that the supplemental agreement was operational in nature and does not alter any major aspect of the concession agreement as it only rescheduled construction timeframe for a berth and allowed other players to partake in the development of dry bulk since the company was constrained to embark on the construction at that time …”

Speaking on his comments about birthday gifts, she said she only worked with him between December 2014 and May 2015, wondering how she could have given him “lots of birthday presents” within the period.

See also  Full list of forfeited houses, lands put up for sale by EFCC in Abuja, Lagos, P’Harcourt

She said: “While this is a trivial issue, the question he should answer is whether he complained to someone that I never gave him a birthday gift as Minister or not.

“If indeed I offered him a present while he was Minister and he turned down my gift, why then did he complain that amongst “many crimes”, was the fact that I never gave him a birthday present?”

Background

Ms Usman was suspended as the head of the NPA in May 2021, following Amaechi’s request to then-President Muhammadu to probe the accounts of the government agency.

Amaechi, then the minister supervising the NPA, had alleged that the NPA failed to remit about N165 billion operating surpluses into the Consolidated Revenue Fund Account of the federation.

He also set up an administrative panel of inquiry to investigate the affairs of the NPA, including awards of contracts from 2016 to May 2021. The panel found no wrongdoing against Ms Usman, yet she was removed from office and replaced with Mohammed Bello-Koko, who served as her executive director, of finance and administration.

She would later claim in her book that Mr Amaechi simply wanted her out of the NPA at all costs due to personal grudges.

News

Two Oyo commissioner, special adviser resign

Published

on

By

Two senior officials in the Oyo State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning have resigned their appointments from Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration.

The officials are Ayobami Ojo, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, and Simeon Oyeleke, the ministry’s Special Adviser on Budget and Economic Planning.

In separate letters dated November 2, and addressed to Mr Makinde, both officials said their resignations would take effect immediately, while thanking the governor for the opportunity to serve but did not give specific reasons for their decisions.

In his letter, Ojo referred to his appointment letter dated 22 June 2026 and formally announced his resignation as commissioner.

“With reference to your letter dated 22nd June, 2026 (SP.S.662/2/VOL.IV/192), I respectfully write to formally resign my appointment as Honourable Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, with effect from today, 2nd November, 2026,” he wrote.

He described his time in government as an honour and said he appreciated the opportunity to serve the state.

See also  Nigeria’s problems caused by us, country is broke – Amaechi

Oyeleke also tendered his resignation with effect from 2 November.

In his letter, he thanked Mr Makinde for the confidence reposed in him and the opportunity to contribute to the administration’s policies and development programmes.

He also expressed appreciation for the governor’s leadership, support and encouragement during his time in office.

“I remain grateful for the opportunity to have been part of this administration and to have contributed to its laudable achievements. I also remain committed to the peace, progress and development of Oyo State,” he wrote.

The latest resignations come amid a series of exits of political appointees and other officials from the Makinde administration in recent months.

It would be recalled that Segun Ogunwuyi resigned as the governor’s chief of staff on 12 October, a position he had held since July 2021. His resignation took immediate effect, although he did not state a reason for his departure.

A few hours after Ogunwuyi’s departure, Makinde appointed Bashorun Akinwole, popularly known as Wolekanle, as his replacement.

See also  Tinubu honours fallen heroes on Armed Forces Remembrance Day

On the same day, Tara Adefope, the Director-General of the Oyo State Due Process Office, also resigned from her position, while in late October, Kabiru Salami, the governor’s Executive Assistant on Security Coordination, also tendered his resignation.

Other officials who have left the administration include Funmi Arulogun, a Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Matters, who resigned in August, citing personal and political considerations.

Babatunde Oduyoye, a member of the Oyo State Advisory Council, also resigned in July, while Fatai Owoseni, a former Commissioner of Police who served as the governor’s Special Adviser on Security resigned in May.

Continue Reading

News

Good morning! Nigerian Newspapers Headlines: Campaigns: OK Movement insists on independence

Published

on

By

1. The OK (Obi/Kwankwaso) Movement has declared that it will maintain its independent identity while mobilising support for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and its candidates ahead of the 2027 general election. 

Movement’s leader John Ughulu said the group remained committed to its original mission of securing the election of former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and erstwhile Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Speaking in an interview, Ughulu dismissed suggestions that the movement’s decision to campaign independently would undermine its support for the NDC, insisting that the focus should be on achieving a common  political objective.

2. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid got a big boost at the weekend with endorsements from across the country. His achievement, the need for consolidation, national cohesion, and other reasons were adduced for the show of solidarity. The presidential election is billed for January 16, 2027

3. The Federal Government has vowed to crack down on inflated public contracts and procurement violations, warning heads of government-owned agencies, corporations, councils, authorities and commissions that they risk sanctions for breaching procurement regulations. The government raised the alarm over contract awards that exceed approved price benchmarks.

See also  Good morning! Here Are Some Major News Headlines In Nigerian Newspapers Today: Fuel price may rise as Naira-for-crude deal stalls

4. The African Democratic Congress has rescheduled its presidential campaign kick-off in Sokoto State to Wednesday, November 4, despite alleging threats, attacks on its members and attempts by the state government to frustrate the event. The party said its decision to proceed with the campaign was a demonstration of its determination to exercise its constitutional rights despite what it described as growing political intimidation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

5. Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have neutralised four leaders of the Islamic State West Africa Province, including two Arabs, a commander and several of their foot soldiers in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State. The Army said they were neutralised on October 31, 2026, by combined troops of the Joint Task Force deployed to Kukawa following a massive ISWAP terrorists attack on their locations.

6. United States President, Donald Trump, has agreed to grant an immediate visa to the mother of a 15-year-old Ghanaian boy shot dead in New York, following a request by the city’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani announced the development on Saturday after speaking with Trump, saying the visa would allow the teenager’s mother to travel to the United States and attend her son’s funeral.

See also  There should be protests against politicians over hardship, 'Angry' Amaechi calls out Nigerians

7. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested two Nigerians based in Europe after they allegedly ingested 200 wraps of cocaine weighing 3.46kg while attempting to travel from Abuja to Paris, France. The suspects, identified as Aliocus Odife and Sam Blackborn, were arrested on Wednesday during the outward clearance of an Air France flight, AF 832, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

8. Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a 100-level female student of Plateau State University, Bokkos, while another person sustained injuries during an attack on off-campus student residential areas in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State. It was learnt that the incidents, which occurred on Saturday evening at about 8:40pm, had heightened concerns over the safety of students residing outside the university campus.

9. An early-morning fire outbreak at the weekend destroyed no fewer than 110 buildings and structures at Kofar Ruwa Timber Market in the Kano metropolis. The Kano State Fire Service, while confirming the incident in a statement on Sunday, said the inferno razed 75 permanent buildings and 35 temporary structures across different sections of the market.

See also  Amaechi explains ‘source’ of his wealth, says ‘my wife is almost an industrialist’

10. The immediate past National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has declared his readiness to align with President Bola Tinubu or former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential election, while ruling out support for the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi.

Continue Reading

News

Relief as suspected Ebola cases in Adamawa tested negative

Published

on

By

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said that there are currently no laboratory-confirmed cases of Ebola  in Adamawa.

The NCDC had on Saturday said that there were two suspected cases of Ebola in the north-east state, adding that the individuals had been isolated while contact identification was ongoing.

But in a statement on Sunday, the director-general of NCDC, Jide Idris,
said samples collected from the two individuals, who had symptoms suggestive of Ebola, tested negative after two rounds of testing.

“The report was received by the Adamawa State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) in the early hours of 30 October 2026, following the identification of two individuals presenting with symptoms suggestive of Ebola, requiring further investigation,” the statement reads.

“Hence the alert that was released early this evening. The individuals have been isolated, and appropriate public health measures have been initiated.

“Samples were collected for laboratory testing to establish the cause of the illness. Fortunately, the samples turned out negative for EBV after two rounds of testing.”

See also  There should be protests against politicians over hardship, 'Angry' Amaechi calls out Nigerians

Idris commended the Adamawa health commissioner and his team for their “proactive approach”, adding that the NCDC was working closely with the state government to investigate the report of suspected Ebola cases.

“Currently, there is no laboratory-confirmed Ebola case in Adamawa state,” he said.

“The index case previously confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory remains the only confirmed case reported in Nigeria to date.”

He urged the public to remain calm and avoid sharing unverified information or speculating about the situation.

“The public is encouraged to obtain information from official government and public health communication channels,” he said.

Idris described Ebola as a serious infectious disease that requires prompt identification, appropriate clinical management and effective infection prevention and control measures.

“Anyone experiencing symptoms such as fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, particularly following relevant exposure, should seek immediate medical attention and inform healthcare workers of any relevant travel or contact history,” he said.

See also  Naira swap comment: Atiku Abubakar now Nigeria’s public enemy number one, says Bayo Onanuga

“Individuals should avoid self-medication and follow the advice of healthcare professionals.”

Nigeriaconfirmed its first Ebola case in more than a decade on October 20, after a 42-year-old Swiss woman tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain in Abuja.

The patient, who had travelled from Uganda to Nigeria, was subsequently isolated and treated by Nigerian health workers.

On Monday, the federal governmentevacuated the patient to Switzerland aboard a medical plane.

Her husband, who was identified as a close contact, was also evacuated to Switzerland.

Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, said the patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious and communicating, with her laboratory test results approaching baseline levels.

Continue Reading

Trending News