Gale Of Resignation Hits NPA, NIMASA Governing Boards
By Abimbola Abdullahi
Some members of the Governing Boards of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) have started throwing in letters of resignation, the Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Saraki has said.
Saraki who spoke during the inspection of Lagos ports, was however silent on the members who have sent in their resignation letters and those who have not.
Responding to question on why members of both boards are contesting for elective positions, a development that runs contrary to a presidential directive that political appointees must resign to contest for elective positions, Saraki explained that some of them have started putting in their letters of resignation.
Her words: “Yes, it’s true that Mr. President asked all political appointees who are interested in elective positions to resign, and I can tell you that some of the member of the Boards of NIMASA and NPA have sent in their resignation letters.
“When next the Governing Boards meet and those members who contested elections for elective positions sit with them, then you can raise this questions again, but to the best of my knowledge, some letters have come in concerning resignation of some members of these Boards.
“I have barely had time to go through some of these letters and other files as I have been in Lagos all through the week inspecting the state of our ports and rail infrastructure. So I might not be able to tell you categorically who has resigned and who has not”
Recall that the Chairman of the NIMASA Governing Board, Rt. Hon. Asita Honourable contested and won one of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Senatorial seats in Rivers State while his counterpart in the NPA Governing Board, Akinwunmi Ricketts also contested for senatorial seat in Cross Rivers State but lost.