On Thursday, May 6, 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari asked Bala Usman to step aside, pending the outcome of an independent inquiry into the management of the NPA.

"President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the recommendation of the Ministry of Transportation under Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi for the setting up of an administrative panel of inquiry to investigate the Management of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA," the president's spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said in a statement.

It was Amaechi who nominated Bala Usman as NPA boss in 2016 because his ministry directly supervises the ports authority--one of the most lucrative agencies in the federal bureaucracy.

Bala Usman also worked with Amaechi on the Buhari presidential campaign of 2015. Amaechi served as Director General of the 'Buhari for President' campaigns in 2015 and 2019.

Bala Usman was Chief of Staff to Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, when she was appointed to head the NPA in 2016.

She was also on first-name basis with a handful of powerful governors and ministers when she took the job.

She also had direct access to President Buhari--a factor that may have worked against her as her relationship with Amaechi soured and tanked.

Sources at the NPA and in the presidency tell Pulse that Amaechi's relationship with Bala Usman deteriorated as she wielded more and more power as NPA MD.

"He just couldn't control her anymore. She refused to do his bidding and that became a problem as you would expect," one source offered. "It was akin to biting the hand that fed her, in his reckoning."

Another source at the NPA tells Pulse that "she challenged some of his orders and directives. Amaechi felt she was rubbing her powers in his face because of her direct access to the president. It was only a matter of time before he made his move."

Amaechi made repeated attempts to axe Bala Usman, Pulse was told.

Amaechi could not be reached for a response before this story was published. We will update this story with his remarks as soon as we have them.

On March 4, 2021, Amaechi addressed a memo to President Buhari, essentially accusing Bala Usman of misappropriating N165 billion; and of not remitting the quoted amount to the federation account.

The memo was titled: Remittance of operating surplus to the consolidated revenue fund account by the Nigerian Ports Authority from 2016 to date.

The memo which was signed by Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, read as follows:

"It has been observed from the records submitted by the Budget Office of the Federation that the yearly remittance of operating surpluses by the Nigerian Ports Authority from year 2016 to 2020 has been far short of the amount due for actual remittance (see the tables attached).

"In view of the above, I wish to suggest that the financial account of the activities of Nigerian Ports Authority be investigated for the period 2016 to 2020 to ascertain the true financial position and the outstanding unremitted balance of one hundred and sixty five billion, three hundred and twenty five million, nine hundred and sixty two thousand, six hundred and ninety seven Naira only (N165,320,962,679)."

Amaechi prayed Buhari to order an audit into the accounts and operations of the NPA from 2016 to 2020.

Buhari approved the memo on March 17 and Bala Usman's position became untenable--her access to the president and to powerful state governors notwithstanding.

When it comes to accusations bordering on non-remittance of monies from agencies and parastatals into the federation account, Buhari can be very unforgiving.