There are indications that the suspended Managing Director (MD) of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman, has been reaching out to local and foreign leaders, including global institutions, in a bid to return to her plum job.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on May 5, approved the indefinite suspension of Bala-Usman from office over alleged failure to remit the operating surplus of the NPA over a four- year period into the national purse, an allegation she has denied.
Media reports suggest that following her suspension, the embattled NPA boss may have started lobbying prominent Northern monarchs, State governors and influential clerics, to prevail on the President to rescind the suspension.
Meanwhile, seemingly unsuccessful, her lobby team allegedly began reaching out and seeking the intervention to African political and business leaders, who are believed to be in regular communication with Buhari.
She is also believed to be leveraging on her relationship with global bodies such as the International Ports and Harbours Association (IAPH), where she was recently re-elected as Vice President of the African Region, and the London-based International Maritime Organisation (IMO), where she chairs one of its technical committees, on behalf of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, last Saturday, former President of Liberia, Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, posted a tweet expressing her support for Ms. Usman. Her tweet reads: “I am disheartened to hear about the suspension of Nigerian Ports Authority MD @hadizabalausman, who I have known to be an accomplished leaders and dedicated public servant. I urge adherence to the rule of law and fair and equal treatment as the situation evolves”.
Interestingly, Nigerians on social media have been reacting to the tweet. Most of the reactions tend to suggest that the former Liberian leader should face her country’s problems and challenges, and let Nigerians resolve her internal issues on their own terms.