Please, leave Hadiza Bala Usman alone

I first knew about Hajiya Hadiza Bala Usman, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) when she got appointed. I was not shocked, mind you, as Northern Nigerian women are all over the lace doing awesome things and achieving so much to be proud of. But I read that she had been doing great […]

I first knew about Hajiya Hadiza Bala Usman, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) when she got appointed. I was not shocked, mind you, as Northern Nigerian women are all over the lace doing awesome things and achieving so much to be proud of. But I read that she had been doing great work in Kaduna State as Governor El-Rufai’s Chief of Staff, before a bigger and more sensitive role took her away to Lagos. This intrigued me, and I looked further, asked more and thought additionally: It seemed pretty much cut-and-dried to me: Here’s a fine lady with impeccable pedigree and her father’s genes in her, carrying out a national assignment to the best of her ability in a sector which many know – or can guess – has high stakes due to the money involved. So, I wasn’t surprised when I saw Senator X or Rep Y saying one negative thing or the other about the NPA and its boss.

The attacks on Hajiya Hadiza are silly, really. The attackers and their hands are out there in plain sight for anyone with half  a brain to see. And Nigerians don’t have half a brain; we’re smart and thoughtful people who can smell a rat from a mile away. And the attacks on the NPA boss’s person is a 10-ton rat! It is obvious that her refusal of [shady] business-as-usual has not only ruffled feathers, it has created panic in all the crooked people who have been bleeding the sector dry, to the detriment of the Federal Government and the ordinary Nigerian. Don’t even get me started on the security implications of the practices that were in place before Hajiya Hadiza’s arrival at the NPA. So is it not weird when online reports buzz about an investigation on her?

Of course, in true form, Hajiya Hadiza has responded that she has nothing to hide and is ready for any probe. Now, I found that refreshing, not only that we have a public official who is not afraid to do the right thing, but to also place herself in the frontline, ready for anything hurled at her. Those with dark interests, and illicit gains to make, of course will not want the new atmosphere in the NPA to continue, hence the attacks. But I’m glad to know that she has said she would not budge in her resolve to rid the agency of corruption, adding that there was no meeting between her and any APC Chieftain, as most-likely-paid-for news items were declaring all over the internet. Because, really, what self-respecting Nigerian newspaper would carry that trash?

While Hajiya Hadiza has said most recently that she is facing a barrage of “malicious lies” directed against her in the media, her adding that she will not buckle on her position on compliance with Federal Government of Nigeria policies is heartwarming, to say the least. Her words: “I will not be cowed or intimidated into conforming to corrupt practices of cheating the Federal government of its revenues. I have been issued with death threats and veiled messages conveying that my life is at risk because of the stance I have taken. No false media attacks or threats to my life will stand in the way of my doing the right thing.”

When I saw her on an interview on Channels Television, Hajiya Hadiza spoke of measures the NPA had embarked upon to ensure things are done in the appropriate manner, with the authority working hard on putting measures in place that would facilitate its operations and service delivery. She also said the NPA employs the help of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) to tackle corruption. “Every corrupt practice we identify, we forward to the EFCC for them to investigate and determine what prosecution process we’d embark upon,” she said. 

I was also quite delighted when she also revealed that many of the corrupt practices that have been identified within the NPA are attributable to certain contractual obligations the NPA entered with entities. “Just recently, we had a situation where one of our technical partners in our joint venture company was sanctioned at a Swiss court for being said to have bribed officials of the NPA over a period.” She also said the authority had implemented the executive order of Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on the use of single interface to aid cargo clearance.

She spoke more: On efforts made to introduce the use of scanners instead of manual inspection of cargoes; On the reconstruction of the Apapa-Wharf road, she said there was the need to provide alternative routes for the transportation of cargoes; She also said alternative routes were being put in place for the period the reconstruction will last.

To say I feel truly inspired by her stance, her resolve, her poise, and her articulateness, would be an understatement. Her emergence as NPA boss, including the tremendous work she’s doing, are all serving to inspire me, show me and the world what a strong, educated, committed and patriotic woman can achieve. And people like Hajiya Hadiza make me – and no doubt millions of other young Nigerians – have hope that the brighter day we all dream and talk about will someday be a reality. I wish her the best in her endeavours, God’s guidance and protection in all she does, and all the support she needs to continue her work. I, for one, am watching closely, and praying for her success. Finally, I’m pretty sure I speak the mind of many sensible Nigerians when I say that all the jackals snapping at Hajiya Hadiza’s feet should leave her alone because she stands for truth. And as a Hausa saying shared by a friend goes, the truth is an iron stallion.

Lawani-Bello wrote in from Games Village, Abuja.