Stakeholders in the country’s maritime industry have lamented the alleged absence of adherence to due process from the suspension of their embattled Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman.
The stakeholders who talked in separate interviews said the suspension was unjustified, describing it as a drawback for girls addition in the marine industry.
The stakeholders also opined that the suspended MD must have been providing a fair hearing advocating that she shouldn’t be rubbished out of office for individual governmental interest.
In accordance with this former WISTA President, “The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi said he is not aware of what is happening from the NPA since 2016, and that’s why he put up that 11-man panel. For me, it’s good for the suspended Managing Director because if her hands are clean, she will be exonerated. If otherwise, then she’ll face the music”
I am a retired civil servant and think that in line with civil service rules, she should’ve been queried first, and allowed to respond to the query prior to any action will then be taken on her situation.
“They ought to have followed due procedure because until you say someone should go on suspension, she needs to have been queried and allowed to react to the query. Her tenure has been renewed, so without allowing her to understand what she has done wrong and even given the opportunity to respond before suspension indicates that a lack of due process.”
He said the suspension was ridicule on the nation’s maritime sector particularly now that Nigeria is recording profits among a comity of nations due to her reform processes.
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Osited posited that Bala-Usman has been making continuous progress in the industry and doesn’t deserve such treatment from the Nigerian government, particularly when the allegations have not yet been substantiated.
“If an allegation is made, you need to allow the person to defend herself rather than suspending her. This suspension will be to ridicule the entire marine sector. “For me personally, it is a very unfortunate situation. We were thinking that NPA has arrived taking cognizance of what the girl is putting into place. She has been the sole making moves to reform the industry.
“A lot of things which were not done before today were now being done, consider, for instance, the automation and seamless operations of this NPA. If they simply push out her like that, I see that as a setback to the reforms. Despite several intimidations, she has continued with her work. Even during the EndSars protest, she did not relent, only for her to be rewarded this manner,” he bemoaned.
Also speaking, the President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Increase Uche, stated Bala-Usman’s removal was a setback to campaign for women inclusion in government and the maritime industry specifically.
