Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, has confirmed that the report of the circumstances of Abdulrasheed Maina’s recall and posting to the Ministry of Interior had been submitted to Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, in a memo to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita, directed the immediate disengagement from service of Mr 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, before the end of work on Monday.
Mr Adesina, in a television interview on Monday night, confirmed that Mr Oyo-Ita had submitted the report as demanded by the President.
Meanwhile, Oyo-Ita, on Monday, dismissed media report that she approved the reinstatement of Maina and his subsequent posting to the Ministry of Interior.
Her refutal was contained in a statement by her Assistant Director, Media Relations, Mohammed Manga.
She maintained that Maina’s restatement and posting did not emanate from her office.
Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (Rtd) 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 October 22, had confirmed the resumption of duty by 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. (NAN)
