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Tag: Maina

  • N2.1b pension fraud: Our case against Maina, by AGF, EFCC

    •Justify declaring him wanted, obtaining warrant for his arrest 

    The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have given reasons why they are interested in the prosecution of former Chairman of the Presidential Task Team on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina.

    The AGF and EFCC  faulted Maina’s claim that he was being wanted in relation to the alleged theft of N2.l billion pension fund, but said he was allegedly involved in multiple offences.

    They said the case against Maina includes allegations of misappropriation, money laundering, forgery and procurement fraud.

    The AGF and the EFCC justified the various steps taken so far to bring him to justice, including placing advertorials in newspapers, declaring him wanted and obtaining a bench warrant against him from a competent court.

    They said the arrest warrant was still valid and that it would be executed at the appropriate time.

    The AGF and the EFCC argued, in court documents filed in response to two suits by Maina before the Federal High Court in Abuja, that the suits were meant to further shield him from the law.

    Maina, in both suits is alleging violation of his fundamental rights through being declared wanted and a bench warrant issued against him.

    He equally alleged constant intimidation and harassment by security agencies, queried the competence of the warrant issued by a Magistrate Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for his arrest.

    Respondents in both suits are AGF, EFCC, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Commissioner of Police (Interpol) and Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

    The EFCC, in a counter affidavit, said “the applicant (Maina) is wanted by the 2nd respondent (EFCC) over allegations of misappropriation, money laundering, forgery and procurement fraud.

    “Several letters of invitation was extended to him through the Ministry of Interior to come to the office of the 2nd respondent to respond to allegations levelled against him.

    On the 30lh day of October 2017, the Ministry of Interior wrote back to the 2nd respondent wherein they intimated the 2nd respondent that the whereabouts of the applicant is unknown which incapacitated them from serving him an official letter of release to enable him to report to the office of the 2nd respondent.

    “The Ministry of Interior also advised the 2nd respondent to take any further appropriate action in search of him.

    “The 2nd respondent was constrained to seek for and obtain a warrant of arrest after all efforts made to bring him to the 2nd respondent‘s office proved futile.

    “The warrant of arrest was issued by the Chief Magistrate Court Abuja dated 26th October 20l7

    “The applicant is being investigated for several offences, including money laundering, obtaining money by false pretence, breach of trust, cheating, official corruption, embezzlement of public fund and abuse of office. ‘

    “There is no order of court directing the 2nd respondent from investigating and or prosecuting the applicant.

    “The applicant has remained at large since 20l5 and, as such, could not be arraigned before the Federal High Court in Charge No FHC/ABJ/CR/297/20l5 wherein he was charged alongside Stephen Orosanya,Osorenkhhoe Afe and four others. Attached hereto and marked as Exhibit EFCC 3 is a copy of the charge.

    “Charge No FHC/ABJ/CR/297/20l5 pending at the Federal High Court Abuja for which the applicant has evaded arraignment and for which he was subsequently declared wanted bothers on money laundering and not theft of the sum of N2.lb pension fund contrary to the deposition of the applicant.

    “The warrant of arrest issued by the Chief Magistrate Court, Abuja which is the fulcrum on which the declaration of the applicant as a wanted person is founded is valid and subsisting and has not been set aside.

    The counter-affidavit further reads: “In 2015, the EFCC pressed charges of corruption to the tune of N2 billion against the applicant and his accomplices.

    “The applicant was declared wanted by the 2nd respondent consequent upon his refusal to make himself available for investigation on allegations of corruption running into over N2billion, rather the applicant absconded to evade investigation, arrest and possible prosecution.

    “In further investigating the applicant as it relates to corruption charges, the applicant evaded questioning by relevant security agencies.

    “In an effort to secure the presence of the applicant to aid the investigation into the alleged corruption, an arrest warrant was further issued to secure his presence.

    “The applicant had consistently not made himself available for investigation by relevant security agencies.

    The publication made in the national dailies was to ascertain the whereabouts of the applicant and aid the investigation of the allegation of corruption against the applicant.

  • Reps summon Okonjo-Iweala, Maina, Malami, others over pension scam

    Reps summon Okonjo-Iweala, Maina, Malami, others over pension scam

    THE House of Representatives has given former Minister of Finance  Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala four working days to appear before its committee investigating pension reform.

    Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele was also expected to appear before the lawmakers for explanations on the alleged stealing of the funds.

    The Anayo Nnebe-led ad hoc  committee investigating the activities of the Presidential Task Force on Pensions Reforms from 2010 to the time of its dissolution and any other successor agency said no representation would be allowed.

    Nnebe said those invited must appear in person.

    Also to appear are former Chairman of the defunct Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms Abdulraheed Maina, former members of the Task Force, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha, Head of Service of the Federation Winifred Eyo-Ita, former Head of Service, Stephen Orosanye and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami.

    Others are Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and relevant stakeholders in the pension sector.

    At the opening of the public hearing yesterday, Nnebe said the physical appearance of those summoned was purely on an account of accountability and thoroughness, adding that the  committee would not entertain any representation.

    He said: “The issue is very simple. We have heard from PTAD and the Legislative Watch. Former minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iwela, all the member of the defunct Presidential committee, EFCC, ICPC, Attorney-General, Governor of Central Bank, the IGP, and all the relevant stakeholders are invited by this committee.

    “On Monday, March 12, 2018, we expect that in the next adjournment, all stakeholders would be here.”

    The Speaker Yakubu Dogara, who was represented by the Chief Whip of the House, Pally Iriase, said: “The subject of this investigation has had a checkered history and has become very controversial. I understand that the Senate is also conducting investigations on the subject.

    “As a bicameral legislature, our constituents have inundated us with complaints that gave rise to the resolution of the House. Where possible, you should compare notes with the Senate while maintaining the independence of your investigations.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Pension fraud: AGF seeks Maina’s arrest

    •Minister urges dismissal of suit challenging bench warrant

    Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation ( AGF ) Abubakar Malami (SAN) has asked a Federal High Court in Kaduna to declined jurisdiction over a suit by embattled former chairman of the Presidential Pension Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, challenging the arrest warrant issued against him by an Abuja court.

    Malami urged the court to dismiss the suit and allow the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the government agency that got the arrest warrant, to proceed with Maina’s arrest and prosecution.

    The AGF told the court that granting any of the reliefs sought in the suit by Maina will do incalculable and permanent damages to the nation’s fight against corruption as well as reverse all gains made so far.

    Malami spoke in court processes he filed in response to the suit filed by Maina. The suit has the EFCC, AGF, Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives as respondents.

    It basically challenges the legitimacy of the arrest warrant got against him by the EFCC and the commission’s decision to declare him wanted based on the said order issued by a Magistrate’s Court in Abuja.

    It is Maina’s contention that the EFCC was an illegal body, on the grounds that  law setting it up – the EFCC Establishment Act 2004 – was an illegal legislation, the amendment of its principal Act having not been allegedly effected by the National Assembly.

    He claimed that the principal Act – the EFCC Act 2002 – was amended as EFCC Act 2004 unilaterally by then President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    He argued that since the President lacked the constitutional powers to unilaterally alter any law made by the legislature, the EFCC Act 2004, allegedly altered by President Obasanjo, becomes illegal and void and on which the EFCC cannot rely to act, including declaring him wanted.

    Maina, among others, urged the court, in his originating summons, “to hold that the plaintiff (he) cannot be declared wanted or arrested by any government agency invoking the powers of the EFCC Act 2004 for the same (the law) being an illegal enactment”.

    However, the AGF, in his counter affidavit, argued that “since a court of law cannot shield any person from arrest, investigation and possible prosecution, the plaintiff (Maina) cannot claim to have any legal right in an effort to stop any subsequent arrest, investigation and prosecution”.

    Malami faulted Maina’s claim about the enactment of the EFCC Act 2004, insisting that it was validly passed by the two chambers of the National Assembly.

    He challenged the competence of the suit in an objection he filed.

    He urged the court to decline jurisdiction because the suit was wrongly commenced.

    The AGF also described the suit as an abuse of court process on the grounds that Maina had filed a similar suit before the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    Further proceedings will resume in the case on January 15, 2018.

  • Pension fraud: AGF seeks arrest, prosecution of Maina

    Pension fraud: AGF seeks arrest, prosecution of Maina

    •Minister urges dismissal of suit challenging bench warrant

    Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami (SAN) has asked a Federal High Court in Kaduna to declined jurisdiction over a suit by embattled former chairman of the Presidential Pension Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, challenging the arrest warrant issued against him by an Abuja court.

    Malami urged the court to dismiss the suit and allow the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the government agency that got the arrest warrant, to proceed with Maina’s arrest and prosecution.

    The AGF told the court that granting any of the reliefs sought in the suit by Maina will do incalculable and permanent damages to the nation’s fight against corruption as well as reverse all gains made so far.

    Malami spoke in court processes he filed in response to the suit filed by Maina. The suit has the EFCC, AGF, Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives as respondents.

    It basically challenges the legitimacy of the arrest warrant got against him by the EFCC and the commission’s decision to declare him wanted based on the said order issued by a Magistrate’s Court in Abuja.

    It is Maina’s contention that the EFCC was an illegal body, on the grounds that  law setting it up – the EFCC Establishment Act 2004 – was an illegal legislation, the amendment of its principal Act having not been allegedly effected by the National Assembly.

    He claimed that the principal Act – the EFCC Act 2002 – was amended as EFCC Act 2004 unilaterally by then President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    He argued that since the President lacked the constitutional powers to unilaterally alter any law made by the legislature, the EFCC Act 2004, allegedly altered by President Obasanjo, becomes illegal and void and on which the EFCC cannot rely to act, including declaring him wanted.

    Maina, among others, urged the court, in his originating summons, “to hold that the plaintiff (he) cannot be declared wanted or arrested by any government agency invoking the powers of the EFCC Act 2004 for the same (the law) being an illegal enactment”.

    However, the AGF, in his counter affidavit, argued that “since a court of law cannot shield any person from arrest, investigation and possible prosecution, the plaintiff (Maina) cannot claim to have any legal right in an effort to stop any subsequent arrest, investigation and prosecution”.

    Malami faulted Maina’s claim about the enactment of the EFCC Act 2004, insisting that it was validly passed by the two chambers of the National Assembly.

    He challenged the competence of the suit in an objection he filed.

    He urged the court to decline jurisdiction because the suit was wrongly commenced.

    The AGF also described the suit as an abuse of court process on the grounds that Maina had filed a similar suit before the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    Further proceedings will resume in the case on January 15, 2018.

     

  • Of Maina, mess and mesmerism

    Of Maina, mess and mesmerism

    Words land with a thud in the innards of the elder. Perish the thought; this is not a Hardball original, it is ancient wisdom of the Yoruba. Oro de inu agba se gbi is how it is rendered. Hardball is particularly enamoured of this saying not just for its onomatopoeic cadences but for its laconic thriftiness and its rich, if you like, mysterious connotations.

    So many words have been landing rather thunderously in the belly of elders (and not so elderly) of the land recently. What with so many strange and befuddling things happening in rapid successions. To the point that very few can still keep track – it is at this point of utter ‘overwhelmingness’ that elders can hear nothing but the heavy thuds of words in their bellies.

    Of course one of such occurrences that make the people bend over double is the now infamous Maina-gate. Though it is only one of the numerous ‘gates’ this government has managed to generate in its short tenure, it is a blockbuster tale that is surely defining this administration.

    Maina-gate can be said to have travelled on a crazy trajectory – moving roaringly from a scandal to a messy affair and now to mesmerism of a farcical kind. The most apt way to describe this calamity is to see it as a form of terror attack on Nigeria, nay on the presidency. Yes, the presidency, because the lead dramatis personae are the president’s top men. Consider the lineup: the number one law officer of the land, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation; chairman of the number one graft agency in the land, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA); Office of the Chief of Staff to the President (CoS); Office of the Directorate of State Service (DSS); Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (HoSF); among others.

    Even the president has been mention in this expanding web of intrigues.

    And the abiding question is: how did a lowly (no, let’s say a not so highly placed) civil servant get picked in the first place to reform a multi-trillion pension scheme? How did he allegedly get access to the funds of an agency he was supposed to set on the path of rectitude? How was one civil servant known as Abdulrasheed Maina able to seemingly corral, if not compromise the highest levels of government functionaries across two regimes? How does he manage to set one top government agency against the other?

    But most telling, how has this Maina fellow, supposedly a wanted man become elusive, invisible and indeed, invincible. Call him the man that cannot be arrested.

    Why, even the president seems mesmerized and trapped under the Maina spell!

  • The Maina saga

    The Maina saga

    The civil service is the citadel of bureaucracy. It does not joke with process, procedure and discipline. You must go through the whole gamut before being employed there. Unfortunately, the time and energy spent on recruitment do not reflect in the workers’ output. Our civil service, which should epitomise the best in service delivery, presents the worst case scenario when compared with the private and informal sectors.

    Many Nigerians do not see anything good in the civil service. They refer to it as a cesspool of corruption. Their assessment may not be wrong because of the activities of many civil servants, which we are aware of. There is no difference between the senior and junior workers when it comes to tampering with the commonwealth, which they hold in trust for us all. Files suddenly get missing when people do not do the needful, which is euphemism for bribery. The messenger will refuse to announce your arrival to his boss if you do not ‘see him’ nor wll the boss attend to you if you do not part with 10 percent of that contract sum. It goes on and on like that.

    Our civil srvice should comprise the best and the brightest because it is the engine room of government whether at the federal, state or local government level. If we can put in extra effort in recruitment, why can’t we double that effort in the discharge of duty? The Abdurasheed Abubakar Maina saga clearly shows that our civil service has become an Augean stable. A civil service of anything goes.

    Even with Servicom, the almighty formula for getting the service to work, Nigerians have yet to get the best out of this all-important sector, which is the hub of governance. Maina was dismissed from service in 2013. He was then an assistant director in the Ministry of Interior. He was also chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reform in which capacity he was said to have recovered a lot of money and properties. He was said to have helped himself to some of the recovered assets. He ran into trouble with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) because of this. The EFCC invited him for questioning. He refused to go and went underground. The agency declared him wanted and following his long absence from work, he was dismissed.

    Suddenly, he resurfaced last month and returned to work at a higher level as a director. How did this happen? The Head of Service (HoS), Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, whose office is the clearing house for the posting, promotion and dismissal of top civil servants, said she did not know how he got back to work, contrary to the Interior Ministry’s claim that she was in the know. Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation Mallam Abubakar Malami (SAN), said his office advised the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) to recall Maina based on a court verdict, which voided his dismissal. Malami later told a bewildered nation that he met with Maina in Dubai. Of course, it goes without saying that Maina’s recall was signed, sealed and delivered at that meeting. Just imagine, the nation’s chief law officer meeting with a fugitive in a foreign land!

    Granted that the court voided Maina’s sack, but did his reinstatement follow civil service rules? This is the poser from Mrs Oyo-Ita, which many in the corridor of power cannnot answer. Maina’s dismissal, according to her, passed through the HoS office in line with procedure. His reinstatement too should have followed the same process, she argues. No, says the Interior Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Abubakar Magaji, who told the House of Representatives Committee investigating the matter that he unilaterally reinstated Maina. The almighty Perm Sec seems to forget that he is answerable to the HoS, who is the overall boss of the civil service. Who is a Perm Sec to bypass the HoS in a serious matter like this? Who is Magaji by the way to talk as if he is the alpha and omega of  the civil service?

    The Maina matter is too grave to be trifled with. Magaji acted wrongly and he knew that what he was doing was wrong but still went ahead to do it because he knew nothing will happen to him. He knew his godfather(s) will come to his aid. But should Magaji be allowed to go scot-free for breaching service rules and also publicly disrespecting the HoS? We should not set a bad precedent with the Maina case. We should do what is right by punishing all those who had a hand in this messy affair. The world is watching to see how we will handle the matter. It is not an open and close case because the more you look, the more you see. There is more to this issue than meets the eye. From Malami to Abdurahman Danbazau to Magaji, they all know something that we do not know. Will they tell us? You can bet your life they won’t. The most we can get from them is what we have heard from Magaji.

    Why did they bring back Maina through the back door? If they meant well for the country and knew that what they were doing was right, they would not have shrouded Maina’s return to work and promotion in secrecy. Now that everything has backfired, they are telling us cock and bull stories and looking for a way out of the mess they created for themselves. Well, they have found a fall guy in Magaji, the Perm Sec., who rather than bow his head in shame for bringing his high office into ridicule, is trying to justify an action for which he should be dismissed from service. It is crystal clear that he did not act alone, but since he has chosen to die alone, so be it. His dismissal should serve as a lesson to others who think that they can circumvent procedure to please the powers that be.

     

    Who becomes PDP chairman? 

    On Saturday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will hold its convention in Abuja to pick its national chairman. Former Kaduna State Govermor Ahmed Makarfi has been acting in that capacity for a while. Makarfi is not in the race. He is eyeing the presidential slot for which Atiku Abubakar has just returned to PDP. The party’s Southsouth governors are behind their man Uche Secondus for the chairmanship seat. Candidates from the Southwest have shouted foul over the governors’ stand.

    Their cry certainly cuts no ice with the governors who will do anything to push Secondus’ candidacy. Who gets the chair? Secondus? Bode George? Tunde Adeniran? Taoheed Adedoja? Gbenga Daniel? Raymond Dokpesi? Jimi Agbaje? We will know in 48hours. May the best candidate win.

  • ‘Maina mutilated pensions records’

    ‘Maina mutilated pensions records’

    THE Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) yesterday broke its silence on the controversy surrounding the reinstatement of former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina.

    NUP said rather than reform the system, Maina delisted the names of genuine pensioners from the federal payroll.

    Addressing a news conference in Abuja, Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Pensioners branch of the NUP Sunday Omezi said Maina mutilated the records of genuine pensioners in the name of discovering ghost pensioners.

    The union also alerted of plots to destabilise them, noting that the union has not applied for registration as a trade union and asked Minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Ngige to disregard any such request as they remain genuine members of the NUP

    Omezi said: “Ordinarily, we would not have considered it necessary to address this press conference, but for the exigency of setting the records straight. We feel compelled to react to some salient issues which have been thrown up by recent developments, one of which is the saga of the reinstatement of Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina, former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team into the service with promotion after his abscondment and dismissal from the service, and subsequent placement on wanted list by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), consequent on corruption charges.

    “It is indeed imperative to recall here one of the several malpractices that characterised the activities of the erstwhile chairman while he held sway in office between 2010 and 2013, which involved the deliberate mutilation of records of some genuine pensioners and removal of same from the payroll, all in an attempt to justify his claim of discovery of ghost pensioners and sanitisation of the system thereof.

    “The allegation we have made here can be verified at PTAD, as it is currently reinstating victims of the unwholesome practice of the discredited Pension Reform Task Team.”

    On efforts to divide the union, he said: “Let it also be clearly stated that the national body of the Federal Civil Service Pensioners has not mandated any person or group of persons to apply for registration on its behalf.

    “We, therefore, appeal to the Minister of Labour and Employment to disregard any such application as it is the handwork of mischief-makers and not a true representation of the collective interest of our entire membership nationwide.

    “In view of the forgoing, it becomes pertinent to unequivocally mention that the union runs a single central administration under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) as enshrined in the Trade Unions Act, to which the entire members of our union belong.”

  • Maina: AGF has case to answer

    •President Buhari must get to the bottom of the pension fund scandal 

    The handling of the abscondment, suspension, reinstatement, promotion and eventual dismissal of the erstwhile chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reform, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina, has exposed how some of our public servants act contrary to the public interest. The man in the eye of the storm had been suspended since 2013 and consequently declared wanted at the local and international levels.

    It is shocking that despite the official steps taken on the matter, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Alhaji Abubakar Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), held a meeting in the United Arabs Emirate with the fugitive whose case was well known to him. Asked to explain why he took the odd step, the AGF could only say he did so after consulting the Director- General of the Department of State Security (DSS), Mallam Lawal Daura.

    We find the excuse too lame to be acceptable. What role has the DSS to play in the matter? Why should the Chief Law Officer of the country be seen in the company of a man accused of mismanaging billions of Naira recovered from looters of the treasury? This is another proof that Mr. Malami is unsuitable for the office he holds.

    Yet, it is another challenge to the Buhari administration. President Muhammadu Buhari must act to reignite the confidence of Nigerians in his ability to steer the ship of the nation. A number of questions have been raised in the National Assembly’s enquiry process. Many public officers have been invited to answer questions or shed light on the circumstances that gave rise to the conundrum.

    Although the permanent secretary of the Interior ministry finally took responsibility for Maina’s reinstatement, he should be made to say more on the motives and the collaboration he apparently received from other officials. His minister, Lt. Gen. Abdulrasheed Dambazzau, who has pleaded ignorance of the malfeasance, should not be allowed to merely wash his hands off like Pontius Pilate. For someone who retired as a General in the army and holds a doctorate degree in Law, the minister, as Chief Executive of the ministry, could convince no one that he had no knowledge of activities of officials under his watch. Otherwise, he would be pleading incompetence.

    Did Mr. Maina’s lawyer lie when he claimed his client had been receiving his salary since the infamous recall? Or, were the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, lying when they said he had been removed from the payroll since 2013? Could it be that some people criminally devised other means of funneling state funds to the said Mr. Maina? No stones should be left unturned in getting to the root of the matter.

    The Head of Service and Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, too, should be further grilled on what they did or failed to do in getting standards upheld. It has been established that the AGF wrote thrice querying or directing the officers on the matter, but, as professionals saddled with applying standards in such matters, it was not enough that they received directives from the AGF. Even if Mr. Maina had been unfairly suspended and the arrest warrant by the Senate that necessitated the commencement of disciplinary procedure against him had been voided by a court of law, there is still an established procedure to recall an errant officer that was set aside in the instant case.

    But, in all this, the officer who could not claim to have acted above board is the AGF. He acted ultra vires in Mr. Maina’s reinstatement. He should have restricted himself to what the judge said – the Senate did not follow established procedure in summoning Mr. Maina. That had nothing to do with other issues that necessitated the suspension. In any case, who ordered the reported promotion and payment of arrears of his salaries? These questions have not been answered whether before the Senate or the House of Representatives.

    We agree with the senators who have called for a deeper look into the 670 property that Mr Maina claims he recovered and passed on to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). While the commission has denied, the searchlight should be beamed into it with a view to determining the veracity or otherwise of the allegation. We call on the President to act expeditiously on the matter and convince the public that he remains committed to his anti- corruption war.

  • Maina: ‘AGF, HOS didn’t inform Dambazzau’ of reinstatement

    Maina: ‘AGF, HOS didn’t inform Dambazzau’ of reinstatement

    The row over the dismissed Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, deepened yesterday, following fresh revelation that Minister of Interior Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau was never briefed about Maina’s recall.

    Dambazzau was not even aware that Maina was in his ministry until a crisis broke out on the latter.

    Also, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winfred Oyo-Ita, did not engage Dambazzau at any point on the controversy surrounding Maina’s reinstatement.

    It was learnt that Dambazzau got to know of Maina’s recall and presence in the ministry in Vienna, Austria, when the crisis over his reinstatement erupted.

    All the correspondences on Maina were shared by the Office of the AGF, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Abubakar Magaji.

    These facts are contained in some documents obtained by The Nation against the backdrop of the unending controversy on Maina.

    There were indications that the fact sheets have been made available to the Presidency to put Dambazzau’s position in perspective.

    Excerpts from one of the sheets read:  “Maina was serving the Ministry of Interior before he was made  the Chairman of the Pension Task Force. During the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, it was the Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee that sacked him. The Senior Staff Committee has representations from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Federal Civil service Commission.

    “Following his sack and litigation, he went back to the Senior Staff Committee for a reconsideration. The minister had no input at any level on how Maina was reinstated because administrative issues / bureaucracy are handled by the Permanent Secretary.

    “The issues of appointment, promotion and disciplinary matters are under the supervision of the Permanent Secretary through the appropriate civil service committees. This is what obtains in all ministries, where ministers do not play any role or interfere in bureaucratic process.

    “There is no direct link between the office of a minister and the OHCSF. The Permanent Secretary in each ministry relates with OHCSF.”

    On the reinstatement of Maina, another fact-sheet said: “”The Minister of Interior  had nothing to do with it because it is not within his purview. Neither the AGF/ Minister of Justice nor the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation brought Maina’s reinstatement to the Minister of Interior. In spite of the fact that ministers meet every Wednesday at the Federal Executive Council meeting,  none of them whispered that there was a case involving Maina. These facts can be verified.

    “The Minister of Interior became aware of the reinstatement of Maina when he was in Vienna, Austria following controversy on the exercise.

    “Findings by the minister confirmed that Maina was reinstated and came back to the Ministry of Interior towards the end of September. The minister was not aware of his presence until the issue  of Maina’s reinstatement became public knowledge.”

    As at press time, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) was still searching for Maina.

    Maina has been arraigned with  a former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Steve Oronsaye, and two others before the court  for alleged N2 billion Pension funds allegedly mismanaged for biometric contracts.

    Others standing trial in the case, which began on July 10, 2015, are Osarenkhoe Afe and Fredrick HamiltonbGlobal Services Limited.

    The suspects are facing a 24-count charge bordering on procurement fraud and obtaining by false pretence. Neither Maina nor Oronsaye has been discharged.

    Oronsaye and two others had pleaded not guilty to the charge. Maina had been on the run until he resurfaced through bush path to resume duties.

  • Perm Sec: I accept blame for Maina’s return to work

    Perm Sec: I accept blame for Maina’s return to work

    More light was shed yesterday on how fugitive Pension Task Force chief Abdulrasheed Maina returned to work.

    Ministry of Interior Permanent Secretary Abubakar Magaji owned up to the lapses in Maina’s reinstatement, which sparked a huge row.

    Magaji spoke when he appeared before the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee investigating the “disappearance, reappearance, reinstatement and promotion of Maina’’ in Abuja.

    According to him, the reference letter made to inform the Head of Civil Service of the Federation that Maina resumed duty was a letter sent to the Federal Civil Service Commission.

    “When I observed this upon resumption from sick leave, I quickly replied to the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, apologising to her about the reference letter.

    “But service is an institution; whatever happened in the process of the minutes, the permanent secretary is the head of the administration and I am here to take responsibility.

    “Whatever the Interior Ministry has done wrongly in accordance with the way administrative matter has been done to the end of this matter, I take responsibility because I cannot reject.

    “I am the permanent secretary, head of administration and I take responsibility for any administrative wrongdoing that Ministry of Interior has done,’’ Magaji said.

    Mrs. Oyo-Ita insisted that the ministry acted in error on the issue.

    She said Maina’s reinstatement letter was not endorsed by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and the letter of posting not delivered to him.

    According to her, the Ministry of Interior did not wait to get posting directives from the Head of Civil Service but it went ahead to act on the advance copy issued by the Federal Civil Service Commission.

    Mrs. Oyo-Ita insisted that Maina was not reinstated into the service.

    “The Federal Civil Service Commission considered the administrative aspect of the case which is punishable by dismissal and the letter reinstating Maina has not been delivered.

    “Therefore, he stands dismissed and was never reinstated into the service,’’ she said.

    Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Mr Abubakar Malami said his office had begun an investigation into the letter directing Maina’s reinstatement.

    Malami said though work was in progress over Maina’s demand to be reinstated based on court judgment, “the letter of his reinstatement may not have emanated from my office as at Oct. 5, 2017’’.

    He maintained that he neither authored nor signed letters purported to have emanated from his office directing the Federal Civil Service Commission to reinstate Maina.

    “The request for Maina’s reinstatement as submitted to my office by Maina’s lawyers was a work-in-progress as at Oct. 5, 2017,’’ he added.

    He told the committee that he had set up a panel of enquiry headed by the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary in the ministry to investigate issues revolving around the letter.

    The chairman of the Committee, Rep. Aliyu Madaki, issued a one-week ultimatum for the submission of the committee’s report.

    “Concerned about investigation that the letter may not have genuinely emanated from his office, the committee will like the probe concluded and the report sent to us soon,’’ Madaki said.

    Acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu told the panel that Maina never handed over any asset to the commission.

    Magu said the assets in the EFCC custody were those recovered by the Commission in the course of investigating the pension fraud.

    “Maina has no asset he handed over to the EFCC, and if there is any, we will like to know the type of assets, the locations, date of handing over and which officer signed the handing-over documents.

    “So, there can’t be any asset to be shared by the EFCC, and if there was any sharing, we would also like to know when, where, and who participated in the sharing,’’ Magu said.

    Magu denied the letter vacating the stop order, saying he had never seen it. He also said  he had never met Maina.

    He said the source of the letter will be investigated because he assumed office in November 2015; “stop order” vacation letter was written in December without his authority.

    He told the Committee that investigation of pension fraud began in 2010 but that the EFCC had no collaboration with Maina’s team, except for a biometric exercise.

    “All recovered assets at EFCC are products of our independent investigations and they were police pension and HoCSF.

    “From police pension, eight  people and associated companies were investigated while HoSC had five and associated companies investigated.

    “All assets recovered from HoCSF on interim forfeiture have been handed over while some are used as offices.

    “It is only the asset of one Yusuf that has been convicted that’s been permanently forfeited and they are 32 in number.

    “All proceeds on the forfeited assets as  rents are duly documented

    “Maina’s assets that we recovered were seven in Kaduna, five in Abuja- two in Kado, two  in Life camp and a sprawling one  in Jabi”.

    Magu said the EFCC was investigating four companies used by Maina with six bank accounts that have  N2.7b from 2008  to 2013.

    According to him, one of Maina’s son’s account that has N1.5b turnover within a year was also uncovered.

    He said Maina used cash converted to forex exchange for transactions most of the time, adding that he paid $2m cash for the  Jabi house.

    He said having declared Maina wanted, the Interpol has been alerted for his arrest.

    Commenting on the proceedings at the public hearing, lagos lawyer Femi Falana (SAN)said:

    “Today, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) was unable to produce any evidence that Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina handed over 222 properties to the EFCC.

    “So the irresponsible allegation credited to Mr. Maina and publicised by Governor Ayo Fayose that the EFCC sold a N1 billion property recovered from Maina, collapsed like a pack of cards before the National Assembly.”

    Department of State Services (DSS) Director-General Mamman Daura said he was notified of the Dubai meeting between Maina and the  AGF with the National Security Adviser  (NSA)  Babagana Monguno in attendance.

    He blamed  the Maina saga on lack of inter-agency collaboration and information sharing.

    But when the chairman of the committee was set to round off  the hearing, Maina’s lawyer Sani Katu protested that he had been denied a fair hearing.

    “We must be heard, that is what they did to us in the Senate, they boxed us into a corner. We must be heard,” he shouted.

    Madaki said no one would be denied hearing adding that the Committee would not allow a rented crowd to disrupt its activities.

    Katu then reiterated that Miana was reinstated by the court judgment that vacated his arrest order,  that the status quo should remain.

    He insisted that Maina remained  on the payroll of the government, going by the court pronouncement and should be paid his emoluments.

    Katu said Maina should not have been dismissed from service, going by the pronouncement of the court.

    He also said, out of court settlement was reached by the two parties where it was agreed that Maina would be reinstated while he would  drop the N2.1b claim he asked for in the suit.

    He said: “The court reinstated him, which means he should revert to his status and his emoluments paid to him

    “There is a judgment from the Federal High Court that sets aside the Warrant of Arrest, that sets aside the warrant of arrest which led to his query and subsequent dismissal.

    “So, our position that having set aside all those queries and dismissal, it means Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina should revert back to his earlier status and what is that earlier status?

    “The status is that before he was dismissed, he was a civil servant and, being a civil servant, the question can as well be raised if he is entitled to salary and the answer is yes, that as a federal civil servant, he entitled to his salary.

    “At one point, efforts were made to calculate his salaries from March 2013 till date, perhaps if not for what has happened now, they would have paid him salary in October.

    “So, we are talking on the premise of the dictates of the law and the law is made up of facts and the facts are contained in the judgement of the Federal High Court,” he said.

    Adjourning the hearing indefinitely (sine die), Madaki warned that it was the duty of the House to prevent impunity in government.