Oshiomhole mocks Amaechi at Hadiza Bala-Usman’s birthday colloquium

Former Edo State Governor and senator, Adams Oshiomhole, on Tuesday took a swipe at former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, over his past handling of Hadiza Bala-Usman during her tenure as managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

Oshiomhole spoke at a colloquium organised in Abuja to mark the 50th birthday of Bala-Usman, who is currently Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination and head of the Central Delivery Coordination Unit.

Amaechi, a former Rivers State governor, served as minister of transportation under the late President Muhammadu Buhari, during which period Bala-Usman was appointed managing director of the NPA. In June 2021, Amaechi recommended Bala-Usman’s suspension to allow for an investigation into the activities of the authority.

At the time, Amaechi said he was shut out of decision-making at the NPA, arguing that the ministry lacked oversight over the parastatal under Bala-Usman’s leadership.

He was quoted as saying that one of the responsibilities of the minister of transportation was to issue general instructions and directions to agencies under the ministry. According to him, the NPA was “completely shut out”, adding, “We didn’t know what was going on in the parastatal. Don’t forget we are investigating the NPA and not the managing director of the NPA.”

Also in June last year, at his 60th birthday celebration, Amaechi declared that Nigerians were hungry and urged opposition forces to unite to remove the current administration.

“We are all hungry. All of us are. If you are not hungry, I am,” Amaechi said. “So, for us in the opposition, if you want us to remove the man in power (President Bola Ahmed Tinubu), we can remove him.”

However, speaking at Tuesday’s event, Oshiomhole accused unnamed individuals of trying to discredit Bala-Usman during her time at the NPA, a remark widely interpreted as directed at Amaechi.

“When you were appointed managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, some people with bad belle, drunk with power, tried to rubbish you without knowing your background,” Oshiomhole said. “They tried to rubbish your family’s name, but in the end, they have rubbish themselves, and now they are hungry.”

He added he had prayed that such hunger would persist “till they return to their creator.”

Amaechi had yet to respond to Oshiomhole’s remarks as of the time of filing this report.

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