Former President Muhammadu Buhari approved the removal of Hadiza Bala Usman as managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) despite their close personal relationship, following a recommendation from the then Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, according to Garba Shehu, Buhari’s former spokesperson.
Shehu said Buhari gave clear approval for the action after Amaechi, who supervised the NPA between 2015 and 2022, concluded that Bala Usman was no longer fit to remain in office.
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday while discussing his new book, According to the President, Shehu recalled that Amaechi had written to Buhari recommending Bala Usman’s suspension amid allegations that the NPA, under her leadership, failed to remit N165 billion in operating surplus to the federal government.
