REINSTATEMENT DRAMA: Ex-pension chief, Maina, is still on our wanted list — EFCC

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Saturday, declared that despite report claiming that the former chairman, Presidential Taskforce Team on Pension Reforms, Mr Abdulrasheed Maina, has been secretly reinstated into the Federal civil service, he is still a wanted person.

Report by an online medium, PREMIUM TIMES, claimed that Maina, who was declared wanted by EFCC in 2015 for alleged fraud in the pension sector worth N195 billion, has been reinstated and promoted to the rank of Director, Human Resources in the Ministry of Interior.

The report further claimed that Maina’s reinstatement into the Federal Civil Service might have been facilitated by the Minister of Interior and his Justice counterpart, Abdulrahman Dambazau and Abubakar Malami (SAN) respectively.

Speaking on the development, EFCC’s Head, Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, told Sunday Tribune that Maina is still wanted by the anti-corruption commission. According to him, “Maina is still on the wanted list.”

EFCC had declared Maina wanted over fraud allegations regarding the use of funds meant for Nigerian pensioners amounting to about N195 billion. The commission secured an arrest warrant against the former pension boss to enable it to arrest him anytime and anywhere he was.

The anti-corruption commission was investigating how the biometric contract allegedly awarded to streamline pension administration under Maina actually became a conduit for stealing pension fund.

As of the time the anti-graft agency declared the Borno State-born Maina wanted, he had allegedly run out of the country and was said to have been staying in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In a bid to stop his arrest, Maina approach the court of law, seeking an order perpetual injunction restraining the EFCC from inviting, arresting or prosecuting him through a exparte motion dated February 14, 2013 pursuant to the fundamental human right enforcement rules 2009 and section 42 sub 3 of the 1999 constitution.

He also sought the leave of the court to restrain the Senate President, Clerk of the Senate, the Senate, the Inspector General of Police and five others, preventing his arrest and prosecution pending the hearing and determination of the substantive motion.

Justice Adamu Bello, who heard the motion, however, refused Maina’s motion, describing it as unethical.

Maina was given the task to reform the country’s pension system by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2010. He was a deputy director in the Ministry of Interior as of the time of his appointment by the administration.

There was, however, a turn of events in 2012 when Maina was accused of fraud amounting to about N195billion in the pension sector. He was investigated by the Senate Committee on Public Service and Establishment and State and Local Government Administration.

The committee issued a warrant of arrest against Maina for ignoring notices of appearance by the committee for him to appear before it to given testimony in its investigation.

Consequent upon his going into hiding, the Federal Civil Service Commission dismissed Maina from service based on the recommendation of the the Head of Service of the Federation.

Meanwhile, a source close to the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation also told the Sunday Tribune in Abuja that Maina was not sacked ab initio.

The source asked one of our correspondents to further investigate what exactly happened to Maina before his disappearance.

It was, however, gathered that Maina, had been promoted and named a Director in charge of Human Resources in the Ministry of Interior.

Calls put through to the spokesman of the Ministry on Saturday went unanswered.

A source close to the workings at the office of the Head of Service, however, queried Sunday Tribune on whether it had information that Maina was sacked in the first instance.

When pressed further to know if Maina had indeed been recalled to the civil service, he queried: “Was he sacked before? In the civil service, if somebody is recalled, it is either that he had been suspended or sacked. But in this case, have you confirmed if he was suspended or sacked?”

When our reporter insisted that he was declared wanted by the EFCC and allegedly absconded from service, the source said: “Maina was an Assistant Director  before he was seconded to the Head of Service.

“I encourage journalists to make their findings very well. If Maina was not suspended before, then he is not under any punishment, according to civil service rules. If one is dismissed or indicted or suspended, which one was applied to Maina?

“Secondment, according to the civil service rules, is for 15 years subject to renewal. Has Maina exhausted the 15 years in the place he was seconded to? But if he was dismissed or suspended for any reason, there should be a panel that investigated him, according to the Civil Service Rules and what was their recommendation? Was he found guilty and what were the steps taken? There are procedures in the civil service.

“You need to also go the Federal Civil Service Commission to really find out because they are in charge of recruitment and discipline of civil servants,” the source stated.