The Presidency may have put to rest the controversy trailing the return to service by Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina despite tales of a sordid past.
Maina, erstwhile Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, had recently resumed office as Acting Director in the Ministry of Interior after a period of lay-off following his alleged involvement in pensions funds scam.
His return to office has sparked a whirlwind of criticisms, prompting the Presidency to wield the big stick by ordering his immediate sack.
A statement by President Muhammadu Buhari’s Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina said the president also requested for a full report on the circumstances of Maina’s recall.
The Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau had confirmed Maina’s resumption of duty in a statement issued by his Press Secretary, Mr. Ehisienmen Osaigbovo, on Sunday.
Osaigbovo had however debunked media reports that the minister was instrumental to 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 at the Ministry of Interior, and that is probably why he was re-posted back to the ministry,” he said.
But a statement by Adesina, on Monday revealed that President Buhari has ordered the immediate disengagement of Maina from service.
He said President Buhari also demanded a full report on the circumstances of Maina’s recall.
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 Police accused him of misappropriating N100 billion pension funds in connivance with others. He subsequently went into hiding.
Thus the Civil Service Commission reportedly dismissed him for “absconding from duty.”
He 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, says 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.