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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the immediate sack and prosecution of Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and suspended Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, over alleged non-remittance of N165 billion by the port management.
The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, challenged Amaechi to come clean on the alleged involvement of his wife, Judith, on a N48 billion unexecuted contract in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The opposition party noted that with the allegations from NPA, NDDC and other agencies, it is obvious that ministries, department and agencies (MDAs) have allegedly become cash cows and automated teller machines (ATMs) members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“Our party asserts that the fact that it took the minister a clear six years (2016 to 2021) to query the NPA managing director over the alleged looting of N165 billion not remitted operating surplus of the agency, which is under his purview, is suspect and raises public belief that he (Amaechi) only acted apparently to himself after indicting audit documents had already been exposed.
“This is in addition to reports from the office of auditor general which also unearthed the looting of not remitted deduction to Federal Inland Revenue Service amounting to N3,667,750,470. $148,845,745.04, Euro 4,891,449.50 and £252,682.14 under the suspended NPA managing director and Amaechi’s ministerial supervision.
“The audit report also exposed another N15.18 billion allegedly siphoned through shady Corporate Social Responsibility projects by the NPA, an agency under Amaechi’s ministerial purview.
“The PDP, therefore, rejects the obvious attempt at a coverup in the recourse to an administrative panel of enquiry recommended by the transport minister to investigate the NPA fraud, in which he also has some questions to answer.
“Our party insists both the minister and the indicted NPA managing director should be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for investigation and possible prosecution,” the PDP said.
