NPA saga: Group calls for Koko’s removal as acting MD

By STEVE AGBOTA

Data Centre for Rural Development, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), has called on the Federal Government to remove Mohammed Bello-Koko as the acting Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

Recently, his principal, Hadiza Bala-Usman was suspended as the NPA Managing Director over allegation of non-remittance of operating surplus to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) by the NPA management under her leadership.  Koko, the Executive Director of Finance and Admin, was appointed as the acting MD of the Authority.

Speaking at a press briefing yesterday in Lagos, Coordinating Director of Data Centre for Rural Development, Moses Uvomata, lamented that it is wrong for the Federal Government to suspend the Managing Director, Hadiza Bala-Usman and keep the Executive Director of Finance and Admin, Mohammed Bello-Koko, who was responsible for initiating the remittances in question.

He said in every organisation, the person responsible for such remittance is the executive finance, he said the executive director who failed in his duties is now the one acting for the MD of NPA, which is never done in any civilised nation.

He said if the ED finance had implemented the right Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution, a software that organisations use to manage day-to-day business activities such as accounting, procurement, project management, risk management and compliance, nobody would be talking about remittance now.

However, he condemned the appointment of a member of the NPA board, Suleiman Auwalu, a Director of Marine Services at the Ministry of transport, to head the probe panel. He said Auwalu, a director and member of the board, is part of the system and he lacks capacity to head or even probe the MD. He said the ED finance, Koko, has not done the right and he has failed.

“Our demands that: the Director of Finance and Admin should also be suspended immediately, the head of the probe panel should be changed immediately and after the probe, NPA should acquire the appropriate ERP that automate its accounting processes to avoid future occurrences of issues of this sort,” he added.

According to him, the head of every organisation and the board/management are jointly and severally responsible for all acts of right/wrong doing in that organization, adding that someone must be professionally and directly responsible and every action must be geared towards achieving desired result or objective. (Daily SUN)