AGF, Senate President And Transport Minister In The ‘Dock’ Over Alleged Swindle And Economic Sabotage

A trio of the nation’s Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami are entangled in a major scandal as an attempt to swindle the nation using a foreign proxy as agent has been busted.

The scandal was meant to enrich the trio to the tune of billions of Naira illegally. Individual interest as the parties fight for selfish gains in the deal from different corners has allowed the deal to burst culminating in the temporary removal of the Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala Usman as sacrificial cow to cover the criminal tracks.

The deal was to enable all the trio rake-up millions into their own coffers illegally.

Nigerian Ports Authority Managing Director, Hadiza Bala Usman was recently asked to step aside as investigation into the scandal was being made with an investigating team constituted. 

The daughter of a former Northern politician who has managed the affairs of the Nigeria Ports Authority since 2016 under Buhari regime had been reported to be involved in a major financial misappropriation with a sum of N165Billion being mentioned. One of the accused in the busted deal, Minister of Transport, Chibuike, Rotimi Amaechi had called on the presidency to set up inquiry on a major financial scandal involving the former MD.

Based on that recommendation, Hadizah was temporarily relieved of her position while an investigation has been set in motion.

However, it has just emerged that Hadizah has been unjustly humiliated and bullied as a business deal entwining the trio of Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami burst due to unhealthy rivalry in the whole contractual agreement between Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi’s in one camp, and Malami and Senate President camp on the other camp of the deal”.

In order to cover the scandal, the trio is using the NPA Managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority as a sacrificial cow to cover for the illegal deal and scandal, thereby incriminating her.

At the heart of Usman’s suspension is a Cargo Tracking Note (CTN) contract which was given out to a Lebanese mafia syndicate with the trio well connected to the illegal Ports deal.

Sahara Reporters learnt that the controversial CTN contract was prepared for the Lebanese proxies by Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami acting in the deal and making them the beneficiary in the billions of Naira deal.

Sahara Reporters gathered that the top government officials had also got President Muhammadu Buhari to buy into their deal, which is under the NPA jurisdiction. It was however a clandestine move to rake-up and swindle the country and its ailing economy. The trio, now pushed to a corner and on the brink of being exposed in the economic sabotage contrick made a move to push the entire scenario away , creating a sacrificial cow in Hadizah now temporarily sent out of office.

On March 21, the President announced that he had directed Amaechi to reintroduce the CTN, citing the “increase in banditry across the nation and ideas to beef up security in the country.”

The presidency had been cajoled in the the con-play that the CTN contract would play a crucial role in enabling the nation address the growing spate of insecurity around cargo handling, a source had told Sahara Reporters.

The competent source told Sahara Reporters: “Malami and the Senate President are behind the deal. Finally, they awarded it to a Lebanese proxy. It is 100% confirmed because they even wanted us to do the contract. But when we realised, they were interested in looting the nation, we backed out” the source revealed.

According to the agreement in the deal, continued the whistle-blower, “The Lebanese man will be giving them $300,000 monthly. That was one of the reasons behind Usman’s removal. It was a contract on container tracking. But there is still rivalry in the whole contract; there is the Amaechi camp on one side as the transport Minister and Malami and Senate President camp on the other side using their offices to rake millions.”

“I told you they gave that Lebanese guy. So the last I heard was that he was flying to Germany to look for another company to do the contract,” reliable source confided in Sahara Reporters.

On Thursday, no reason was given for the suspension of Usman who was reappointed for another five-year tenure recently.

She was first appointed as the Managing Director of NPA in 2016.

According to a release by President’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, President Buhari approved the recommendation of the Ministry of Transportation for the setting up of an Administrative Panel of Inquiry to investigate the Management of NPA.

“The President has also approved that the Managing Director, Hadiza Bala Usman, to step aside while the investigation is carried out. Mr Mohammed Koko will act in that position. The panel is to be headed by the Director, Maritime Services of the Ministry while the Deputy Director, Legal of the same ministry will serve as Secretary. Other members of the panel will be appointed by the Minister,” Shehu had said in the release.