By 
Abiodun OBA
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) extends its searchlight on Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
The party, in a statement on Thursday, said this became necessary after Hadiza Bala Usman was removed from the office of Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) over alleged looting of over N165 billion.
The office of the Auditor-General also unearthed the alleged stealing of unremitted deductions to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) amounting to N3,667,750,470. $148,845,745.04, Euro 4,891,449.50 and £252,682.14 during her watch at NPA.
However, the PDP said that “the fact that it took the minister a clear six years (2016 to 2021) to query the NPA Managing Director, over the looting of N165 billion unremitted operational surplus of the agency, raises public apprehensions of an afterthought, which only came after indicting audit documents had already been exposed.”
The PDP also said President Buhari should not just “ease-out” Bala Usman, but must go-ahead to prosecute her.
The PDP charged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately take in Bala Usman for questioning and prosecution over the alleged fraud which also includes the reported stealing of N15.18 billion through alleged shady Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects by the NPA.
The PDP added that “standing with Nigerians, we will continue to closely monitor the actions of the Buhari administration and resist attempts by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to sweep the matter under the carpet in the desperation to shield many of its leaders involved in the reckless looting in the NPA, particularly, finances relating to the 2019 elections sleaze funds.”
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