Nine Months After Bala’s Removal, Buhari Appoints Koko As NPA MD

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Mohammed Bello- Koko as the new Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

Koko’s appointment as the substantive MD of the NPA was disclosed on Tuesday in a circular signed by Eric Ojiekwe, the Director of Press and Public Relations of the Federal Ministry of Transportation.

The appointment was approved by the President nine months after former NPA MD Hadiza Bala Usman was suspended in May 2021.

Hadiza was accused of financial recklessness and a disdain for due process.

“The President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has approved the appointment of Mr Mohammed Bello- Koko as the substantive Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA),” the statement read.

Koko was the Executive Director, Finance and Administration of the NPA before he was appointed to take over Hadiza’s role.

The new MD was one of the Nigerians named in the Pandora papers scandal led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) who owns properties in the United Kingdom.

He allegedly acquired the property secretly and was also running offshore businesses in the British Virgin Islands, according to the investigation.