Buhari: Fear grips heads of parastatals, MDAs

Following the directives of President Goodluck Jonathan to all ministries, departments and agencies to submit handover reports, there is palpable fear among top echelons of the various agencies in the public sector ahead of the May 29 inauguration of the president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari of the All progressives Congress, APC.
Though Buhari gave assurance during the electioneering campaign that he will not probe the past administration, this has not given some heads of MDAs respite as it is widely believed that Buhari will succumb to pressure to probe the finances of the MDAs.
The looming probe is already giving heads of the parastatals sleepless nights, especially in the maritime sub- sector where most of the businesses are transacted in foreign currencies.
Worst hit by this fear are the Nigerian Maritime Administration and safety Agency, NIMASA, the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, and the Nigerian Inland Waterway Authority, NIWA, whose chief executive officers are in one way or the other linked to the failed political calculations that preceded the last presidential elections which was won by General Muhamadu Buhari.
According to sources in the various agencies, who spoke to this paper on the condition of anonymity, one of those that most likely will be shown the way out is the Director General of NIMASSA, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi, who allegedly engaged the APC in a battle preparatory to the elections.
Akpobolomi, who is just four months into his second term of four years is already said to be a target by the APC.
According to a top official, he said that apart from having sympathy for the ruling PDP, the DG also played a very dominant role in the build- up to the elections. He was alleged to have used funds from NIMASA to finance series of campaigns against the APC.
It would be recalled that the NIMASA boss had also in retaliation, threatened to sue the party, although the threat was never carried out, the agency under the watch of Akpobolokemi has also been accused of alleged serial misappropriation of funds.
Similarly there is also no doubt that the Managing Director of Nigeria Ports Authority, NPA, Mallam Habib Abdulahi, may be in his last few months as the CEO of the agency. Reason: He is not known to be a sympathiser of the APC.
Although his employment in NPA in 2003 is by virtue of being a member of the Kwankwaso political dynasty in Kano State, he fell out with the Kano State Governor, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso when the later defected to the APC.
Investigations by Nigerian Pilot Sunday revealed that when his godfather defected to APC, Habib decided to stay put in the PDP to create inroad for President Goodluck Jonathan in Kano State and also checkmate the governor.
Already, insiders informed this paper that the post of MD of NPA may still go to someone from the Kano/Jigawa states axis and that a replacement was being sought for him.
The Customs Comptroller General, Alhaji Dikko Abdulahi Inde has allegedly been linked to both political camps.
While some alleged that being from Katsina, he had sympathy for the ambition of General Buhari , some said that he was very loyal to President Jonathan and this may be the only reason the APC administration may send him packing.
From every indication the days of Dikko as the CG are numbered.
The case of the CEO of Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, is even too obvious, having been a serving minister and later CEO of NIWA and being the Matriarch of Ciroma family, her political alliance is not in doubt.
Again, insiders revealed that because of the need to be definitive on the incoming regime’s economic blue print and attendant new fiscal policies, there is the need to make sweeping changes in many of the revenue-yielding agencies, especially in the maritime sector.
It would be recalled that activities at the Lagos ports and border stations had remained at very low ebb as customs brokers and others kept away in preparation for the presidential and gubernatorial elections.
A visit to the Lagos ports and border stations of Idiroko and Seme showed that very few people turned up for business. Many brokers, including customs officers and other personnel working for different agencies were discovered to have kept away from office.
This followed the decision of some importers to leave their goods in the ports until the presidential election is over.
Freight forwarders and others who showed up at the port did not spend much time before leaving the ports and border stations, preferring that business would start in earnest after the election.
Those who had few containers to clear made sure that the trucks left earlier to be able to arrive their destinations before the election.
Many had preferred that their goods remain in the ports for safety and security measures in case of any post election violence.
However, there was noticeable presence of heavily armed police and soldiers within the ports and border stations for security purposes.