Hadiza Bala Usman, the former Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has responded to claims by Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transport, that the NPA’s remittance has been far short of the amount due.

A letter circulating social media on Friday evening from the Office of the Managing Director, NPA, addressed the Chief of Staff of the President on the approval by President Muhammadu Buhari for the Ministry of Transportation to audit the accounts of the NPA has been seen by FIJ. The letter, dated May 5, was signed by Usman.

Usman, who was suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari to allow for an investigation into the account of NPA, said in the letter  that the 2017 and 2018 remittances to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CFR) were N42.415 billion and N33.969 billion, representing an 80 per cent surplus for both years.

“The Audit of the 2019 Financial Statement has been completed and awaiting consideration of the Authorities Board, at which point the final figures for the 2019 operating surplus will be determined for consequent computation of the amount due for remittance to the CFR,” Usman said in the letter.

Usman’s response addressed a letter by the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, that claimed records from the Budget Office of the Federation showed that the remittances by the NPA from 2016 to 2020 “have been far short of the amount due for actual remittance”.

Amaechi’s letter was addressed to Buhari and acknowledged by his Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.

READ ALSO: Amaechi: Hadiza Bala Usman Didn’t Remit N165bn from 2016 to 2020

In her letter, usman clarified that the NPA had “remitted the full amount due it to CFR for the periods of 2017 and 2018 arising from the Operating Surplus derived from the Audited Financial Statement for the period totalling N76.384 billion as evidenced in attached treasury receipts”.

She further said that the period of 2019 and 2020 saw the NPA remit a total of N82.687 billion “pending the audit of the financial statement at which point the amount so computed arising from the value of the Operating Surplus in the audited financial statement will be remitted to the CFR”.

Usman asked that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation provide further clarification on the remittances. An investigative panel was however announced by the president’s spokesman Shehu Garba to look into the allegations of the misappropriated N165 billion.