Civil Society Groups Set To Embark On Mega Protest Against Bello-Koko Recently Appointed As Substantive MD Of Nigerian Ports Authority

Civil Society Groups numbering about thirteen and drawn from different parts of Nigeria have concluded plans to hit the Federal Capital Territory Abuja on Thursday, 3rd March, 2022 to embark on what they described “the mother of all protests” against Mr. Mohammed Bello-Koko whose appointment as substantive Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari on 15th February, 2022.

Prior to this appointment, Bello-Koko was named the acting Managing Director in May, 2021 following the sudden suspension of Hadiza Bala Usman on some trumped-up allegations of corruption and abuse of office.


In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Monday, 21st February, 2022 Comrade Jude Ebitimi stated that “the appointment of Mr. Mohammed Bello-Koko who was the only Public Servant recently fingered in the Pandora Papers is not only irregular, unjustifiable but unacceptable to the Nigerian people”.

It will be recalled that the Pandora Papers project is led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).
Comrade Ebitimi went further to maintain that President Muhammadu Buhari may not have adequately looked into the negative antecedents of Bello-Koko before pronouncing him as MD of Nigerian Ports Authority.

According to him, “although Mr. President thought that Bello-Koko was fit for the position of Managing Director of NPA based on the media hype and propaganda of those who were trying to sell him, the truth is that the atrocities committed by the young man even in his days as Executive Director (Finance and Administrative) at NPA should have landed him in prison by now but not otherwise”.


He revealed that the thirteen Civil Society Groups under the leadership of Transparency Advocacy for Development Initiative (TADI) will be organizing a World Press Conference in Abuja on Wednesday, 23rd February, 2022 to draw attention of the general public to reasons why Bello-Koko should not be allowed to remain in office. Thereafter, the Civil Society Groups will embark on a marathon mass protest in front of the National Assembly Complex as well as Federal Ministry of Transportation for a period of seven days.

Credit: CCG / Pandora papers

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