How Hadiza Bala-Usman Awarded Contracts to Company Linked to Associates El’Rufai, Omojuwa

This paper has sighted evidence that Hadiza Usman, the suspended Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, unethically awarded a contract to company linked to Nasir El Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State and an associate of hers.

A screenshot from the ‘Our Clients’ page of AlphaReach.com, a company and website reportedly owned by Japhet Omojuwa, a protégé of Nasir El-Rufai shows the logo of the Nigerian Ports Authority listed as a previous client of Alpha Reach.

See screenshot below.

Japhet Omojuwa is currently embroiled in a controversy where he is accused of fraudulently listing Oby Ezekwesili, a former presidential candidate as a director in the same company, AlphaReach.

Mrs Ezekwesili had in a letter written by her lawyers Falana and Falana Chambers demanded full disclosure and public apology over the alleged unapproved use of her name as director of the company.

According to the letter, the company which was incorporated in 2012 also has Damilola Ogunleye, Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai and Omojuwa as directors.

Hadiza Usman though has vehemently denied it, is said to be romantically linked to Nasir El’Rufai. She said “He has been very supportive of my career and the career” when asked to describe her relationship with the Governor.

Alpha Reach, a Nigerian PR firm registered in Abuja; the Federal Capital Territory, is no stranger to controversy.

The company was recently involved with a UK-based non-profit organization, Digital Good Governance for Africa; to pay influencers who tweeted positively about Alex Saab in an effort to sway public opinion and court proceedings in Nigeria and Cape Verde, the African island nation where the alleged felon is currently under house arrest.

Filings at the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, later evealed that El-Rufai and Ezekwesili are named as directors of the company.