Fresh insights have revealed the various issues that led to the removal and eventual recall of Mallam Habib Abdullahi as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA).
Abdullahi was removed under suspicious circumstances by former President Goodluck Jonathan on April 29, 2015 and replaced with his kinsman Prince Lamido Ado Bayero.
However Shipping Position Daily confirmed last week that Abdullahi who was recently reinstated by President Muhammadu Buhari, found himself in a web of issues bordering on policy and politics.
Fresh insights have revealed the various issues that led to the removal and eventual recall of Mallam Habib Abdullahi as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA).
Abdullahi was removed under suspicious circumstances by former President Goodluck Jonathan on April 29, 2015 and replaced with his kinsman Prince Lamido Ado Bayero.
However Shipping Position Daily confirmed last week that Abdullahi who was recently reinstated by President Muhammadu Buhari, found himself in a web of issues bordering on policy and politics.
Principal among these issues was the controversial acquisition of 10 per cent stake in Onne, Rivers State-based terminal operator; Integrated Logistics Service (INTELS).
Shipping Position Daily confirmed that President Jonathan’s administration was actually interested in pushing the Federal Government into taking over the 10 per cent stake in INTELS, and he needed the cooperation of the Managing Director of NPA. But Abdullahi was said to have advised against it.
Our source also confirmed that, indeed Abdullahi did a memo to the then-Federal Executive Council, in which he expressed his opposition to the INTELS deal. He was reported to have written the memo that: “Venturing directly into the shareholding of a private partner may compromise the neutrality of NPA as landlord and the federal government as umpire in the industry".
In the memo, the then MD of NPA had argued that, buying into INTELS will generate discomfort among players in Nigerian port system and make the NPA vulnerable, because NPA has concession and related business deals with firms like INTELS and others.
One of our sources who was in the know of how the event played out confirmed that: “This is one of the main reasons Habib Abdullahi was removed by former President Jonathan”.
As scooped by Shipping Position Daily in its July 13, 2015 edition, the idea was eventually dropped following the emergence of President Buhari,
Source at the Ministry of Transport had confirmed to our correspondent that, while it was true that government made moves to acquire the shares that were hitherto held by the late Emir of Kano; Alhaji Ado Bayero, an inter-agency committee advised against it.
A senior ministry official who sat on the inter-ministerial committee on the acquisition of the 10 per cent equity had also told one of our correspondents that, “we had to advise against it, it is not in tandem with the prevailing spirit of port concession that the Federal Government had embarked upon since 2006”.
Apart from the INTELS issues, our source also added that, another reason was the controversial dredging of Calabar channel.
The N20 billion controversial contract was approved by former President Jonathan, but the then-MD of NPA; Habib was not playing along.
Shortly before he was removed, Habib had refused to allow NPA part with funds for the dredging company since November when the dredging contract commenced.
The firm; Calabar Channel Management Company Limited (CCML) had raised alarm in April that it was being staffed of funds by the NPA.
Unable to stand the position of Abdullahi, former President Jonathan gave him the boots the same month.
Our source also stated that, no one was sure of why Abdullahi was reluctant to release the funds as at when necessary.
Apart from the Calabar channel dredging, Habib was involved a high wired political game that almost consumed him.
Our source confirmed that the politics of Kano state between the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the then-opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).
At the heat of the campaigns which eventually went in APC and President Buhari’s way, Habib Abdullahi was expected to queue behind the PDP and its candidate; Goodluck Jonathan, but he took a gamble and backed his old time benefactors; Governor Rabui Kwankwanso and former MD of NPA; Architect Aminu Dabo. It paid off.
“He didn’t play any role in the funding of PDP and the campaigns, at a point, he even left the country”, our source said.
“It only stands to reason that he would be recalled after APC won the Presidential elections, he gambled and won”, he added.
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