President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the Managing Director of Nigeria Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala Usman to step aside from her role.
Her suspension comes as the Ministry of Transportation, headed by Mr Rotimi Amaechi, sets up an Administrative Panel of Inquiry to investigate the NPA management.
It was, however, not clear what necessitated the suspension of the NPA boss, who was only reappointed in January this year by Buhari.
Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, an Executive Director at the NPA, will replace Usman for the duration of the investigation, a statement signed by presidential spokesman Garba Shehu on Thursday said.
The statement partly reads;
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the recommendation of the Ministry of Transportation under Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi for the setting up of an Administrative Panel of Inquiry to investigate the Management of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA.
The President has also approved that the Managing Director, Hadiza Bala Usman step aside while the investigation is carried out, while Mr Mohammed Koko will act in that position.
The panel is to be headed by the Director, Maritime Services of the Ministry and the Deputy Director, Legal of the same ministry will serve as Secretary. Other members of the panel will be appointed by the Minister.
Bala-Usman was first appointed as the managing director of the NPA in 2016 and was reappointed in January this year for another five years.
On Wednesday, the suspended NPA boss led her organisation to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with National Bureau of Statistics and Nigerian Ports Authority to commence the production of statistical information and data analytics on port related activities.
