By ‘Dotun Akintomide
There are apprehensions in the civil service and elsewhere as President Muhammadu Buhari begins the probing of the circumstances that led to Abdulrasheed Maina’s recall and posting to the Ministry of Interior despite the N100 billion pension scandal that had hitherto rendered him a fugitive.
This follows the submission of a report ordered by the President detailing how the embattled Maina was reinstated to the civil service from the back door and the individuals involved in his reinstatement.
The presidential Spokesman Femi Adesina had confirmed on Monday night that the report has been submitted to the President’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari.
On Monday, President Muhammadu Buhari through a memo to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, directed the immediate disengagement from service of Maina, former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms.
The President equally demanded a full report of the circumstances of Maina’s recall and posting to the Ministry of Interior, saying the report must be submitted to the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, before the end of work today.
Adesina, in a television interview on Monday night, confirmed that Oyo-Ita had submitted the report to the office of the Chief of Staff as demanded by the President.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, on Monday, dismissed media report that she approved the reinstatement of Abdulrasheed Maina, and his subsequent posting to the Ministry of Interior.
Oyo-Ita’s refutal was contained in a statement by her Assistant Director, Media Relations, Mohammed Manga.
The Head of Service maintained that Maina’s restatement and posting did not emanate from her office.
The Minister of Interior, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau who had earlier exonerated himself from complicity in the matter, said Maina was posted to his ministry by the Head of Service.
The Minister, on Oct. 22, had confirmed the resumption of duty by Abdulrasheed Maina, as an Acting Director in his ministry.
The confirmation came in a statement issued by the Press Secretary to the minister, Mr Ehisienmen Osaigbovo.
Maina was appointed by former President Goodluck Jonathan as Chairman of the task force in 2010 to check the corruption in the country’s pension system.
In 2012, the Nigeria Police accused him of misappropriating N100 billion pension funds in connivance with others.
The Civil Service Commission reportedly dismissed him for “absconding from duty’’.
Maina was arraigned in absentia by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which declared him wanted in 2015.
Mr Wilson Uwujaren, the spokesman of the anti-graft agency in a statement on Saturday, said Maina remained on the commission’s wanted list.
