By Baba Martins

Former Edo State Governor and Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, on Tuesday took a veiled swipe at former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, over his past handling of Hadiza Bala-Usman during her tenure as Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

Oshiomhole made the remarks at a colloquium held in Abuja to mark the 50th birthday of Bala-Usman, who currently serves as Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination and Head of the Central Delivery Coordination Unit.

Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State, served as Minister of Transportation under the late President Muhammadu Buhari, during which period Bala-Usman was appointed Managing Director of the NPA. In June 2021, Amaechi recommended her suspension to allow for an investigation into the activities of the authority.

At the time, Amaechi argued that the ministry had been shut out of decision-making at the NPA, claiming it lacked oversight over the parastatal under Bala-Usman’s leadership. He stated that one of the responsibilities of the Minister of Transportation was to issue general instructions and directions to agencies under the ministry.

According to him, the NPA was “completely shut out,” adding: “We didn’t know what was going on in the parastatal. Don’t forget we are investigating the NPA and not the managing director of the NPA.”

In June last year, during his 60th birthday celebration, Amaechi also declared that Nigerians were hungry and called on opposition forces to unite to remove the current administration.

“We are all hungry. All of us are. If you are not hungry, I am,” Amaechi said. “So, for us in the opposition, if you want us to remove the man in power (President Bola Ahmed Tinubu), we can remove him.”

However, speaking at Tuesday’s event, Oshiomhole accused unnamed individuals of attempting to discredit Bala-Usman during her time at the NPA—remarks widely interpreted as being directed at Amaechi.

“When you were appointed Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, some people with bad belle, drunk with power, tried to rubbish you without knowing your background,” Oshiomhole said. “They tried to rubbish your family’s name, but in the end, they have rubbished themselves, and now they are hungry.”

He added that he had prayed such hunger would persist “until they return to their creator.”

As of the time of filing this report, Amaechi had yet to respond to Oshiomhole’s remarks.