Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has suffered a severe commercial setback at the hands of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.

This follows the President’s decision to cancel the contract awarded to Integrated Logistics Services (Intels) to restore boat pilotage for the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

The pilotage contract was awarded to Intels in January 2021, which is partly controlled by Abubakar and an Italian national, Gabriele Volpi.

Following legal advice from Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, President Buhari canceled the contract.

The president was also consulted on the topic by the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the Acting Director-General of the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC), according to the publication.

In a letter dated January 7, 2022, and signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, President Buhari directed the termination of Intels contract with the NPA.

Buhari’s letter addressed to Malami and the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, directed that the procurement process initiated by NPA be forwarded immediately to the BPP for action within 60 days to avoid further loss of revenue.

The President added that the Ministry of Transportation should present a memorandum on the procurement process to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for consideration.

He, however, directed the NPA to ensure that the sanctity of the agreements with respect to Onne 4 (Berths 9, 10 & 11) be maintained, as there is no subsisting contract with Intels for their utilisation.

Rtn. Victor Ojelabi

Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.