As political jobbers seek to demonise Hadiza Usman and her team at NPA, all persons who love this country, irrespective of political affiliation ought to understand the urgency of rallying around this unusual amazon. In spite of the odds that seem to be staked up against the war against corruption in this country, I am convinced that progress is being made and much more would be achieved…
I totally agree with the former military governor of Kaduna State, the highly respected Col. Dangiwa Umar (rtd) that the surest way to stamp out corruption in our body polity is to give total and unalloyed backing to public office holders who insist that the right things are done at all times, irrespective of whose ox is gored.
Even more precisely, I unequivocally concur with Col. Umar that Hadiza Bala Usman, the managing director of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) deserves not just our support but resounding applause as she continues with the unenviable task of stamping out innate corruption in the administration of the nation’s ports.
From the very first day she assumed office as the managing director of NPA, Hadiza made no pretenses about her resolve to go to war with entrenched interests that have for years held the nation hostage at the ports; forces that previous administrations either colluded with or deliberately ignored, leaving our dear country reeling in colossal fiscal hemorrhage.
In line with the strategic agenda of ridding the NPA of corruption and stemming huge revenue losses, she insisted from the outset on the dogged and uncompromising adherence to the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy of the federal government. It is now well known that her administration uncovered and exposed the fact that about N11.2 billion that belong to NPA was still domiciled in commercial banks in clear contravention of the extant financial policy of the federal government.
It was similarly discovered that about €6 million, being revenue generated by the NPA that should have been remitted into the Federation Account, were illegally held in separate accounts in a number of commercial banks, while $23 million was said to have been found in another commercial bank. Being a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-corruption, Hadiza Bala Usman was expectedly resolute about redressing the inherited tardiness in the financial accounting processes in NPA. Of course, the scattered funds of the Authority have since been properly accounted for and turned over to the Single Treasury Account of the federal government. It is equally laudable that she has instituted measures to recover huge funds being owed the Agency and has put in place an anti-corruption office at the NPA.
Determined to wean NPA of its history of corruption, indolence, ineptitude and sharp practices, I am aware that the Hadiza Bala Usman leadership now tracks the budget and finances of NPA using the instrumentalities of the budget tracking and transparency organisation, making the NPA the first government-controlled revenue generating agency in Nigeria to open its books and accounts to the civil society and the public for monitoring and scrutiny. It is most gratifying that Hadiza Usman’s efforts are speedily paying off and this much is reflected in the NPA posting a revenue of N118 billion in the first quarter of 2017 alone. The same agency generated less than N12 billion in the whole of 2015.
Like most other observers of the new NPA Management under Hadiza Bala Usman, I have since noted her resolve to improve the ease of doing business in the nation’s ports in line with global best practices and pursuant to the Presidential Executive Order to this effect. This explains why she and members of her team have since commenced the review of the Exclusive Port Concession policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria, which is about 10 years old. A critical component of this review, as I have since learned, is the freeing up of the nation’s seaports from the suffocating grip (as well as the whims and caprices) of a few powerful operators who have been enjoying operational monopoly under the less than transparent Exclusive Concession Agreement. This old system, lawyers (including the attorney general of the federation) believe clearly negates the globally acclaimed standards in a free market economy.
Worse still, the new NPA management has said that verifiable facts have shown several times that this old system of monopoly and unfair benefit encouraged corruption and a huge loss of revenue that is accruable to the federal government through the NPA. For example, we have been told that under the old order of monopolistic concession, some terminal operators were known to have colluded with some high-ranking, albeit corrupt, NPA officials to create a cartel that ensured that all oil and gas cargoes were directed to their terminals alone under the exclusive concession agreement. However, with the termination of monopoly under the Exclusive Concession Agreement, almost 200 port operators can now compete favourably and fairly for cargoes to be discharged at their terminals. This, experts say, will help generate more income for the federal government and create more jobs for the teeming populace of our great nation, as more terminals will become functional at the ports.
Given the above facts, the decision of the federal government to terminate a boat pilotage agreement between the Nigerian Ports Authority and Integrated Logistics Services Limited (INTELS) is highly commendable and should be lauded and regarded by all well-meaning Nigerians as a step in the right direction, as the NPA continues to affect the long-overdue reforms in the nation’s ports. It is however shocking and embarrassing that rather than commend the NPA Management for the bold steps being taken to help generate desperately needed income for our nation, political motives are being imputed in the termination of the pilotage agreement between NPA and INTELS. This is extremely mischievous and most unfair to the dexterous management team at NPA under Hadiza Bala Usman. Aside from the fact that the boat pilotage agreement between the NPA and INTELS, which was signed in 2010 for a validity period of 10 years, has been adjudged as illegal by no less a person than the attorney general of the federation, the agreement also negates the extant TSA policy of the federal government.
Even more riling is the fact that INTELS has been defaulting in making remittances to the federal government. Facts making the rounds have shown that between January 2010 and September 2016, INTELS collected about $1.295 billion under the agreement. Out of this amount, INTELS remitted only $343.35 million to the NPA. At a time the federal government is resorting to huge borrowing to fund the national budget, it would have been scandalous to continue to travel this uncharted route with INTELS. As political jobbers seek to demonise Hadiza Usman and her team at NPA, all persons who love this country, irrespective of political affiliation ought to understand the urgency of rallying around this unusual amazon. In spite of the odds that seem to be staked up against the war against corruption in this country, I am convinced that progress is being made and much more would be achieved if the likes of Hadiza Bala Usman are given the requisite support to do even better.
Uba Sani is special adviser to the Kaduna State governor on political and intergovernmental affairs.
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