News

Mainagate: Malami masterminded Maina’s reinstatement – Report

Published

8 years ago

April 3, 2018

A Committee set up by the House of Reps to probe the circumstances surrounding the reinstatement of Abdulrasheed Maina into the civil service has reportedly indicted Abubakar Malami, Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

According to the report submitted by the 12-member committee, Malami was said to have “pressurised all that mattered” to see that Maina was brought back into the civil service. The report listed Malami as the “architect” of Maina’s reinstatement.

The lawmakers said apart from meeting with Maina in Dubai despite knowing he had been declared wanted, the Attorney-General unduly interfered (with) and pressured the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) regarding Maina’s reinstatement.

“The Attorney-General knew that Maina is a fugitive, yet he met him in Dubai. Maina’s reinstatement didn’t follow due process and it was fraudulently masterminded,” the report read.

The panel, therefore, said Malami’s action is unconstitutional and recommended that he should be reprimanded and cautioned.

It also recommended that he should be advised on the best way to deal with such issues and not to interfere in matters he has no jurisdiction over.

The panel also said the FCSC erred by obeying Malami’s directive and recommended that the commission should be asked to stick to civil service rules in such matters.

The Federal Civil Service Commission dismissed Maina, who was the former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), in 2013. He was accused of being involved in pension fraud running into over N100 billion and had a warrant of arrest issued against him.

Subsequently, the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared him wanted, after which he went into hiding. But four years after, Maina managed to find his way back into the civil service, following a letter of reinstatement from Federal Civil Service Commission.

It was reported that three top officials in the government of President Muhammadu Buhari allegedly played prominent roles in his reinstatement.

When the news broke out, President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered that the reinstatement be revoked, and also directed Winifred Oyo-Ita, Head of the Civil Service of the federation, to probe the matter.