Hajia Hadiza Usman, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has reacted to the bribe allegation against her:
“My attention has been drawn to malicious lies being bandied around by a Prince Henry Nwazuruahu on my person. I wish to challenge him to bring up evidence on any such meeting with any APC Chieftain and any monies being given. I wish to challenge him to provide the authorship to this report whom I shall file a suit against in the court of law for defamation of character.”
“In the last few days, I had faced a barrage of malicious lies directed against me in the media, I will not budge on my position on compliance with Federal Government of Nigeria policies. I will not bow on my stance to rid the NPA of corrupt practices.”
“I will not be cowed or intimidated into conforming to corrupt practices of cheating the Federal government of its revenues. I have been issued with death threats and veiled messages conveying that my life is at risk because of the stance I have taken. No false media attacks or threats to my life will stand in the way of my doing the right thing.”
“The agency had not received any notification from the presidency of an investigation, the agency is open to any of such investigation as it has nothing to hide.”
This is the allegation against the NPA boss trending on the social media:
“Sources in the Presidency, have ordered for an investigation into the financial books of the Nigerian Ports Authority, under the management of Mrs Hadiza Bala Usman, a sister to the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over a $25,000 fraud. This came barely a few days, after the El-Rufai 30-page memo to President Muhammadu Buhari, got leaked to the press.”
“Hadiza Bala Usman, the Managing Director of The Nigerian Ports Authority, who once served as Governor El Rufai’s Chief of Staff, was alleged to have given $25, 000 to several APC Chieftains to support El-Rufai’s emergence as Vice President, under the assumption that Buhari may not return to Nigeria, from his medical leave.”
“Recall, that Buhari’s medical leave which lasted for more than 45 days instead of the planned 10 days, raised a lot of questions about the President’s ability to return to office.”
“While there were rumours that he was in a coma after a series of operations, there were also rumours of his passing, and a conspiracy by the Presidency to conceal his health status from Nigerians, as much as they could.”
“It was however, alleged that El-Rufai and his former Chief of Staff, had seen the President’s ill health as an opportunity to further push the former’s political career.”
“Mrs Hadiza Bala Usman, who was appointed by Buhari, allegedly met with several APC chieftains at the request of El-Rufai, and reportedly gave $25,000 each to many of them, to influence the picking of El-Rufai as the Vice President, should Buhari fail to return to Nigeria; and Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, was sworn in as President.”
“This grand plan would have seen El-Rufai contest for the 2019 Presidency, as it would have been widely accepted in the APC Northern Nigeria, that the North had not completed its 8 years tenure. In a shocking twist of events, Buhari’s return marked the end of El-Rufai’s scheming, and dashed his Presidential hopes.”
“The Kaduna Governor then wrote a lengthy letter, and released a lengthy memo to criticize the President’s policies, weeks after the President returned” – Post Ng