UNYF calls on President Buhari to approve appointment of Bello-Koko as NPA substantive MD

By Rachel Olubunmi

The President of Unified Nigerian Youths Forum (UNYF), a pressure group, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to approve the appointment of Mr. Muhammad Bello-Koko as the substantive Managing Director (MD) of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for fast track in economic development of the country.

The President of UNYF, Comrade Abdulsalam Mohammed Kazeem, made the urge while addressing pressmen on Tuesday in Kaduna.

According to Kazeem, the vacuum created in the NPA as a result of the ongoing probe of the tenure of the suspended MD of the Ports Authority, Hajiya Hadiza Bala Usman, triggered the leadership of the UNYF to call on President Buhari to speedily approve the appointment of Bello-Koko as the substantive head of the Ports Authority.

"This is enable to him complete the progressive and all inclusive reforms he has started in the organization",he said.

Kazeem explained that the decision to call on President Buhari to confirme Mr Bello-Koko as NPA head was taking after extraordinary emergency congress meeting of the UNYF at NAF international conference center in Abuja to X-Ray his tenure, and the misleading Pandora papers uproar.

"The Forum discovered that the industrious and hard working Bello-Koko declared the said properties in his Code of Conduct Bureau forms which vindicated him, as he resigned from headship and partnership of the British Virgin Island incooperated companies.

"Our findings further revealed that Bello-Koko was not a politically exposed person in 2008-2013 when he purchased the alleged assets, he did not employ a multilayered murky mechanism to obscure his ownership of foreign property", Kazeem said.

He further said that Bello-Koko had declared his two vehicles in the Island, therefore does not deserve condemnation, rather collective commendation.

He further noted that within the short period after Bello-Koko took over the leadership of NPA, Nigerians revenue generation rate had increased on daily basis.

"Bello-Koko's relationship with his staff and management of the Authority is now the envy of all and a reference point in Nigeria today.

"Therefore, we wish to withdraw the earlier erroneous call we made urging the Mr President to sack him, the call was as a result of pressure from some mischievous desperate politicians and interest group who were intimidated by his rising profile and achievements.

"Those mischief makers are not realists; assuming If they had paid attention to details, they wouldn't have led us astray, It is rystal clear that none of the properties Bello-Koko had was acquired while he was in office.

"His Code of Conduct Form showed that he disclosed everything, mischief makers are trying to make the world believe he had a hidden secret.

"The UNYF has therefore unanimously resolved to work with Mr Bello-Koko and his team as he makes frantic efforts to reposition the nation port and generates revenue that will better the lots of the common man in our street", Kazeem said.

He called on the Minister of transport and stakeholders from the sector to help fast track Bello-Koko's appointment, noting that 'the leadership of the NPA should come from the North West, and accidentally Bello-Koko is from Kebbi state".

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Edited by Sani Idris

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El-Rufai appoints 28-year-old Khalil as head of investment agency

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October 12, 2021 8:50 AM

The governor announced changes to his cabinet on Monday.

Khalil heads Kaduna Investment Agency (Punch)

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