I’ll Not Stop Fighting Corruption At NPA – Hadiza Bala Usman BY Ejike Ejike

March 24.

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hajiya Hadiza Bala Usman, has vowed that she will not bow to any undue pressure or brow-beaten to shirk her responsibility of ridding the NPA of corrupt practices.

She said, “In the face of barrage of false malicious lies against my person in the media, I will not budge on my position on compliance to Federal Government of Nigeria policies. 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”.

She denied allegations that she met with and bribed some leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in order to influence them to support the contrived bid of her erstwhile boss, Governor Nasiru el-Rufa’I of Kaduna State to run for the presidency.

Hajiya Usman, in a statement she personally signed and sent to LEADERSHIP Friday, stated that at no time did she meet with any individual or group of APC big wigs to advance the said agenda of el-Rufa’i.

Usman, who was the former Chief of Staff to Mallam el-Rufa’i, was alleged to have given $25000 to several APC chieftains to support el-Rufai’s emergence as Vice President under the assumption that President Buhari may not return to Nigeria from his medical vacation.

But describing the report as malicious, the managing director threatened to drag anybody who attempts to put his signature to it to court.

Her words: “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”.

Hajiya Usman also refuted claims by the same report that the federal government was probing the activities of the NPA under her watch.

She said, “We have not received any such notification by the presidency of an investigation into our financial books; and indeed we are open to any of such investigation as we have nothing to hide”.