The Coalition of Northern Patriots has called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Mohammed Bello-Koko, and Emmanuel Jime, his counterpart at the Nigerian Shippers Council, for allegedly funding the presidential campaign of former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi.
In a statement signed by its president, Samson Aaron, the coalition described the pair as corrupt, calling on the President to probe their activities and prosecute them if found guilty.
Aaron said after lavishing millions on Amaechi’s failed bid, they went ahead to use taxpayers’ money to fund the campaign of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, on the former minister’s instructions.
According to Aaron, Bello-Kobo and Jime have turned their agencies into Amaechi’s cash cow and operate with high-handedness, impunity, and disrespect for constituted authorities.
He said Amaechi wanted Hadiza Usman out of the way for this reason and to entrench criminality and fraud, especially in the maritime sector.
Aaron added that at the NPA and shippers council, fraud through kickbacks and money laundering has become the order of the day just to meet the demands of their boss.
The coalition further said that the duo are bad eggs in the current administration and must be dismissed forthwith.
Aaron, however, urged President Tinubu to continue the cleansing of MDAs, just as he has done with the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
“The suspension and arrest of Godwin Emefiele came as a relief to many Nigerians. It showed that the President is out to sanitise the mess he met on the ground,” he said.
“While this is the right step, we have pieces of evidence that there are even more unscrupulous individuals still in government. These bad eggs will soon contaminate the system if not fished out.
“The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Mohammed Bello-Koko, and Emmanuel Jime, his counterpart at the Nigerian Shippers Council, should be investigated. We have enough proof to back this claim.
“Bello-Koko and Jime funded the failed presidential bid of Rotimi Amaechi, whom they see as their boss. They carried this out with efficiency after the sack of Hadiza Usman.
“And when Amaechi lost the APC ticket, he ordered his loyalists to use taxpayers’ money to sponsor Atiku to defeat Tinubu. They failed again. These individuals have become so powerful that they carry out high-level fraud, bribery, and money laundering.
“We, therefore, call on the president to probe these two and prosecute them if found guilty. This administration started on a strong foot and it must sustain it by going all out for other corrupt officials. “
