Buhari orders immediate sack of Maina from service

Just some hours after the Minister of
Interior, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman
Dambazau, confirmed the resumption
of duty by former Chairman of the
Presidential Task Force on Pension
Reforms, Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, as
an Acting Director in his ministry,
President Muhammadu Buhari has
ordered for the immediate sack of Mr.

Abdulrasheed Maina from service.
A statement made available to
newsmen by Femi Adesina, Buhari’s
Special Adviser on media, said
President Buhari also asked for a full
report on the circumstances of Maina’s
recall.

Recall that the minister of Interrior had
confirmed Maina’s resumption of duty
in a statement issued by his Press
Secretary, Mr Ehisienmen Osaigbovo,
on Sunday.

Osaigbovo, had in the confirmatory
statement, however, debunked media
reports that his principal was one of
those responsible for Maina’s “re-
instatement”.

According to him, “Maina was posted
few days ago to the Ministry of Interior
by the Office of the Head of Service on
an Acting capacity to fill a vacancy
created following the retirement of the
Director heading the Human Resources
Department in the Ministry.

“For the avoidance of doubt, issues
relating to discipline, employment, re-
engagement, posting, promotion and
retirements of federal civil servants are
the responsibility of the Federal Civil
Service Commission and Office of the
Head of Service of the Federation.

“No minister exercises such powers as
erroneously expressed in this
publication. “It is understood that
Maina’s last posting was with the
Ministry of Interior, and that is
probably why he was re-posted back to
the ministry,” he said.

But a statement by Femi Adesina, on
Monday, said President Buhari ordered
the immediate disengagement of Maina
from service. He said President Buhari
also demanded for the full report on
the circumstances of Maina’s recall.

The statement also said President
Buhari has also asked the Head of
Service, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, to
submit a full report of the
circumstances of Mr Maina’s recall and
posting to the Interior Ministry.

Buhari also ordered that the report be
submitted to the office of the Chief of
Staff to the President before the close
of work today, Monday, Oct 23, 2017.

“In a memo to the Head of the Civil
Service of the Federation, the President
equally demanded a full report of the
circumstances of Maina’s recall and
posting to the Ministry of Interior.

“The report is to be submitted to the
office of the Chief of Staff to the
President, Mallam Abba Kyari, before
the end of work today, Monday,
October 23, 2017.”

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.

The anti-graft agency, through its
spokesman, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said
the former pension task force chairman
remains on the commission’s wanted
list.

Sunday’s confirmation by the minister
followed reports in the online media
that Maina had been secretly re-
instated and promoted to the rank of
director in the ministry.