The Senate, on Tuesday, set up an ad hoc committee to probe the recall and reinstatement saga around the former chairman of the Presidential Task Team on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina.
This was as the House of Representatives also resolved to constitute an ad hoc committee to investigate the resurfacing, reabsorbing and subsequent elevation of Maina from the rank of Assistant Director to the position of an Acting Director.
The Senate, which adopted a motion moved by Senator Hamman Missau, asked the committee to unravel the circumstances leading to the recall of Maina as well as the role played by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and his counterpart in the Ministry of Interior, Lieutenant-General Abdulrahman Dambazzau (retd).
Senator Misau, who moved the motion through orders 42 and 52 of the Senate Standing Rules, under matters of urgent national importance, asked the Senate to beam its searchlight on the roles of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Minister of Interior in the saga.
He stated that the development had caused the country an embarrassment.
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Misau said: “Though President Buhari has sacked the illegally-reinstated and promoted Maina from office, but those behind the act are members of his cabinet who must be exposed and sanctioned, particularly the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami and the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazzau, going by emerging facts on the matter.
“This is unacceptable and unbecoming in a government claiming to be fighting corruption for such senior cabinet members to be hobnobbing with corrupt people and promoting them. It is a big embarrassment not only to the said government, but to all Nigerians and the Senate must look into it.”
Senate Chief Whip, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, also told the Senate that President Buhari must be assisted by all means to bring those involved to book.
“I am glad that the president acted promptly. Even at that, the rules of the civil service commission have been breached even by the president. What is sure is that certain people in the executive are determined to make this president fail. APC members must ensure this president must not fail. Whoever is responsible for this terrible decision must account for it. The president owes it to the public to make these ministers answer,” he said.
Senator Attai Aidoko, in his contribution, asked the Senate to call a spade, a spade on the matter.
He said: “We are looking at this issue from the wrong perspective. We are looking at the symptoms not at the cause. Maina is too small to resume as a director. Someone must have been the one to do it. It is no news that Maina is corrupt, but the person or persons that returned Maina is the problem.
“The minister of interior said he has no power. We were told it is the Attorney-General of the Federation. The issue is who brought Maina to that place? It is the AGF who has a history of writing letters all over the place? The president should tell us what he would do to the AGF. We must rise to condemn the act and ensure justice is done.”
Senator Dino Melaye turned further heat on the AGF by chronicliing all past alleged embarrassing actions of the minister.
“Mr president is a good man and he means well, but he is surrounded by cankerworms and caterpillars. We would continue to deliberate like this without any result until we stand up on behalf of the people of this country.
“We should have the audacity to take strong decisions. Nigerians would understand why the office of AGF and minister of justice is separated. We must recommend to the president that the AGF has displayed gross colossal incompetence for the office he is occupying and appropriate action must be taken because the man would run us into a constitutional crisis if we don’t check him now,” he said.
Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, who rounded off deliberations, gave the ad hoc committee two weeks to unravel those behind the embarrassment and report to the Senate.
“We are all disturbed by this national embarrassment bordering on security and the fight against corruption. Those behind it must surely be unmasked by the ad hoc committee,” he said.
The House of Representatives also recommended sanctions against any person or persons implicated in the scandal, while the EFCC was asked to immediately arrest Mr Maina for subsequent prosecution in order to serve as a deterrent to others who might have corrupt tendencies.
The House equally commended President Buhari for being proactive in directing the disengagement of Mr Maina.
The House resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Honourable Jagaba Adams Jagaba, entitled: “Need to investigate the disappearance, reappearance and subsequent reinstatement and promotion of Abdulrasheed Maina, the former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension regime.”
Honourable Jagaba, who chaired the House Committee on Interior, maintained that the mystery behind the whole saga must be investigated.
Honourable Jagaba, in his motion, recalled that Mr Maina was appointed chairman of the Presidential Task Force in 2010 to check the complaints in the country’s pension system by former president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, adding that during that time, the Nigeria Police accused him of mismanaging over N100 billion pension fund.
He further said that in 2015, the EFCC, through its spokesman, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, declared him wanted, adding that the National Assembly also invited Mr Maina to appear before its committee, but he turned down the invitations on several occasions.
Contributing to the motion, Deputy Chief Whip, Honourable Pally Iriase, said the action President Buhari took was not enough, saying “there are many questions begging for answer.”
Honourable Wale Raji while kicking against the motion, said the House should exercise caution, noting that “the President has already ordered for investigation; we should wait for the outcome of the investigation. This is an executive responsibility.”
Honourable Mark Gbillah, in his contribution said the House should investigate the matter, maintaining that “we cannot trust the executive to do due diligence. We need to get to the root of this matter and address it.”
Honourable Ahmed Kaita, while contributing to the motion, said the House should be careful and carry out the investigation with every sense of responsibility.
The Chief Whip, Honourable Alhasan Doguwa, on his part, said the House committees must ensure that they carry out proper oversight.
The plenary session where the motion was adopted, was presided over by Speaker, Honourable Yakubu Dogara.
Buhari followed due process in sacking Maina —Presidency
The Presidency, on Tuesday, said President Buhari followed due process in ordering the immediate disengagement of Maina.
The justification came after Nigerians questioned the legality of the president’s action.
Quoting Public Service Rules and Section 11 (1)(b)of the Interpretation Act, Cap I 23, Vol.8, LFN, 2004), Jiti Ogunye, a lawyer, said “it is the Federal Civil Service Commission or the Permanent Secretary or Heads of Extra Ministerial Department as the case may be (to whom disciplinary powers are delegated) that have the statutory power to mete disciplinary actions, including dismissal (or sack) to civil servants.”
He said the president lacked the power to “sack or direct the sack of Mr Maina.”
Reacting to the controversy, however, the Presidency, on its Twitter handle, NGRPresident, insisted that ”due process was followed in ordering the sack.
“Reports that due process was not followed in the disengagement of Mr Maina from service are incorrect.
“The president directed the appropriate authorities to effect the disengagement in compliance with due process.
“President Buhari will continue to ensure that due process is followed every step of the way,” the tweet read.
We are embarrassed, shocked —APC
Leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed disappointment over circumstances surrounding the reinstatement of Maina into the nation’s civil service.
Speaking with newsmen on Tuesday, in Abuja, national publicity secretary of APC, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party was disturbed over the development, but expressed satisfaction with the directive of President Buhari that Maina be relieved of his appointment.
“We are all shocked like any other person. It is almost unbelievable that such thing can happen. However, we are all delighted that President Buhari has taken very decisive punitive action against those that are involved. We are also delighted that he has ordered full-scale investigation into the circumstances that led to this individual being reinstated into the public office,” he said.
Also reacting to insinuation that President Buhari was deliberately delaying action on the report of the committee led by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Babachir Lawal and the Director of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ayo Oke, Mallam Abdullahi appealed to Nigerians to be patient, as he expressed the hope that necessary action would soon be taken by President Buhari.
“I cannot comment on this because it is the same president that has taken decisive action on this that still has the other reports. In his wisdom, he must have a reason and unless we know those reasons, we cannot come to conclusions that he has not acted,” he said.
EFCC seals off his 6 houses
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has sealed off six houses allegedly belonging to Maina in Kaduna State.
Nigerian Tribune learnt that the six properties included a two-storey shopping plaza located on No 2C, Ibrahim Taiwo Road and a one-storey duplex on Katuru Road in the state capital.
Other properties were four houses at Kawo new extension in Kaduna.
It was gathered that armed EFCC operatives stormed the two sprawling edifices on Tuesday afternoon and marked them with the inscription, ‘EFCC Keep Off, subject of investigation.’
Spokesman at the Kaduna EFCC zonal office, Kamilu Gebi, said “yesterday, we sealed off six houses belonging to the former pension boss.”