Controversy: Outrageous fraud in NPA, boss’s head wanted?

18.05.2016 00:42

– Nigerian Anti-corruption Crusaders (NAC) have urged President Buhari to sack Habib Abdullahi, boss of NPA

– The group claims that the NPA boss is fraudulent and incompetent

– NAC has made some very huge claims against the NPA boss

Following what it described as monumental fraud and incompetence and lack of vision, a group under the auspices of Nigerian Anti Corruption Crusaders(NAC) has called on President Muhhamadu Buhari to order the immediate investigation, dismissal and prosecution of Mr Habib Abdullahi the MD of Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA).

NPA boss, Habib Abdullahi has been accused of fraud

In a press release issued recently by the Nigerian Anti Corruption Crusaders and signed by the president and secretary Dr Segun Adesobi and Mr Ismaila Waheed respectively in Lagos, the group recalled that in 2012 and 2013, the media was awash with cases of fraudulent activities of Mr Habib Abdullahi especially a publication contained in MMS, a Maritime Industry weekly which blew open how he wasted about N5.44 billion on foreign trips in 2013 alone.

The group claimed that and that despite series of petitions to the anti graft agencies, Habib remained shielded by the government in power then simply because he used such illegal proceeds to finance the PDP,as he was known to be loved by some PDP chieftains.

NAC noted that till date, “Habib Abdullahi still maintains multi dollars worth private homes in London where he spends every weekend with large entourage of 20 -30 persons who go on shopping spree in European super stores and resumes work every Monday all at the expense of NPA.”

“He has refused to relocate back to Nigeria after his stint as the NPA representative in London,with several of his children enrolled in boarding schools in the United Kingdom. He constantly travels first class on this foreign weekend junkets, despite the Federal Government directive for ministers and heads of parastatals to travel business class,” NAC claimed.

They also made reference to the report of the last concluded National Conference Committee on Finance which alerted the nation about the non remittance of N713 billion to the federation account by NPA between 2009 and 2014 pointing out that a breakdown of the figure shows that Habibu Abdullahi supervised much of this economic sabotage as Executive Director Finance and Administration and as MD of NPA respectively from 2011-2014.

NAC further noted that a published report by the committee indicated that NPA generated N91 billion in 2009 but remitted N5.2 billion; raked in N102 billion in 2010 but paid only N3.5 billion to government; and made N120 billion in 2011 and remitted just N1 billion.

In 2012, the NPA reportedly made N128 billion but remitted only N17.8 billion to government coffers. Generated N131 billion in 2013 and remitted N3.2 billion, while N172 billion was realized up to May 2014 without any remittance as at the point of the report, thereby prompting the committee’s alarm.

This happened under the Goodluck Jonathan administration,and Habib was shielded from prosecution because of his closeness to the powers that be in that government, NAC asserted.

NAC noted that Habib was finally sacked after several attempts to remove him for incompetence and corruption were thwarted by the powers that be. The group also made reference to a position paper by Edo state governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole during the 8th quadrennial delegates’ conference of the National Union of Road Transport Workers where he revealed that the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), spent N160 billion representing 98.77 per cent of the N162 billion it generated in a year and remitted only 2 billion to government coffers under Habib Abdullahi.

They (NAC) said Habib should be asked to provide a breakdown of this expenditure and who authorised it.

The EFCC should not ignore the use of NPA revenues as a political slush fund similar to the way DASUKI used $2.1bn security funds.

The group opined that in view of these allegations and the fact that NPA has not made any progress under Habib’s watch, the president has no other option than to immediately sack Habib and order for his arrest and hand him over to the anti corruption agencies for investigation and prosecution to answer for the numerous frauds he allegedly committed in NPA.

According to NAC, Habib has tried to portray himself as an APC chieftain, but he was indeed the bedrock of PDP and worked hand in gloves with Chief Tony Anenih and used NPA funds to fund the PDP for several years,” said the Nigerian Anti Corruption Crusaders.

The group was of the opinion that a key agency like the NPA does not need incompetent people as leadrs, if the Muhammadu Buhari administration must achieve the Change agenda they proposed, “especially in this era of dwindling oil revenue such that any kobo that accrues to the nation must be prudently accounted for.”

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