Jonathan’s men may have returned Maina to service ―Presidency

THE Presidency on Wednesday claimed that some influential officials of the former administration of President Goodluck Jonathan may have been responsible for the return of Abdulrasheed Maina to the civil service.

A statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the president on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, in Abuja which made the allegation, also said top officials of the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government received billions of naira of looted pension fund from the former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms.

The statement observed that Maina was a top member of the PDP and therefore the party has no moral right to criticize President Muhammadu Buhari over the re-engagement of Maina.

According to the statement, “the Presidency insists that the PDP has no moral right to level any accusations against the current government in respect to Abdulrasheed Maina, the embattled former head of the presidential team on pension reforms.”

It described Maina as “one of the monsters created by the former PDP government, and which are still rearing their ugly heads long after the Party was soundly defeated in the 2015 elections.”

The statement added: “Over and over again, the President Buhari government has pointed out that the administration’s greatest problem is the mess left behind by the previous government. Maina is just one more example.”

It cited records from the investigations that led to the disgrace of the former pension boss and his being declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), noting that Maina was not the only a top member of the former government involved in the multibillion naira pensions scandal, but a man warmly ensconced in the bosom of power.

It further said: “Top officials in the PDP government, from sectoral heads, to those charged with responsibility for law and order received some of these billions of naira from Maina.

“We have all the transaction records and these are matters that the EFCC has been pursuing to ensure that they all have their day in court.”

The statement hinted that “some influential officials loyal to the previous government may have been the invisible hand in the latest scandal that saw the return of Maina to the public service, despite being on the EFCC’s wanted list.”

The Presidency however, assured Nigerians that President Buhari was determined to get to the bottom of the matter of the impunity that led to Maina’s reinstatement.

While saying that “everything will be uncovered in due course,” the Presidency added:  “This just goes to show us the scale of corruption that this government is fighting. And, as we can all see, corruption keeps fighting back viciously.”