•HoS, FCC behind posting to Interior Ministry –Dambazau

•EFCC launches fresh manhunt

By Adetutu Folasade-Koyi and Juliana Taiwo and James Ojo, Abuja

There is controversy over the reinstatement of former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina, as acting director, Human Resources Department, in the Ministry of Interior.

Maina is facing a pending corruption trial and was subsequently declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

EFCC, on its website said: “Dark complexioned Maina is allegedly complicit in the over N2 billion pensions biometric scam in the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation. He remains at large, after charges were filed against his accomplices.”

The message was still there as at Sunday, October 22, 2017 when Daily Sun checked for confirmation. EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren also confirmed that Maina is still on the commission’s wanted persons list.

Following the reported reinstatement of Maina, the EFCC may have launched a fresh manhunt for his arrest and prosecution. It was learnt last night that an emergency meeting of the leadership of the commission has been held.

Although details  of the meeting was sketchy, it was gathered that the commission was piqued by the alleged entry into the country because he had been declared wanted not only by the commission but by the police.

Trouble started in 2012 when  Maina was accused of leading a massive pension fraud scheme amounting to more than N100 billion. He had earlier been drafted by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, in 2010, to sanitise a corrupt pension system.

Based on corruption allegations, Maina was invited by the Senate Joint Committee on Public Service and Establishment and State and Local Government Administration. Upon completion of its investigation, Senate issued a warrant of arrest against Maina and mandated the Inspector General of Police to execute the warrant.

Ignoring the panel, Maina went ahead to sue the senate and then IGP, Mohammed Abubakar and, thereafter, went into hiding, after he was declared wanted by the police. Consequent upon this, Maina allegedly absconded from duty.

He was to appear in court on July 21, 2015, mentioned by the EFCC as a major accomplice in a 24-count charge filed against Stephen Oronsaye and two others before a Federal High Court.

The charges bordered on procurement fraud and obtaining by false pretence. Oronsaye and the two other accused were in court and pleaded not guilty to the charge. Maina was at large.

Regardless, Minister of Interior, Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Dambazau, has explained why Maina was recalled to the service and promoted to head a directorate in his ministry.

Dambazau, in a statement by his press secretary, Ehisienmen Osaigbovo, at the weekend, confirmed that Maina is now in charge of the ministry’s Human Resources Department and that his recall was from “the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation and the Federal Civil Service Commission.”

He reiterated that the two bodies are responsible for “issues relating to discipline, employment, re-engagement, posting, promotion and retirements of federal civil Servants.”

Osaigbovo also confirmed in the statement that Maina “was posted few days ago to the Ministry of Interior, by the Office of the Head of Service in an acting capacity, to fill a vacancy created following the retirement of the director heading the Human Resources Department in the ministry.”

Osaigbovo did not say if Dambazau was aware Maina is still a fugitive wanted by the EFCC but added: “It is understood that Maina’s last posting was with the Ministry of Interior and that is probably why he was re-posted back to the ministry.”

Also speaking on the matter, Assistant Director (Press), in the office of Head of Service of the Federation, Mohammed Manga, told Daily Sun it was wrong to believe that Maina had been sacked from the civil service.

“You journalists should start reading civil servant rules and be properly informed so as not to misinform the public. Nobody will dismiss a director from service just by recommendations. A civil service director is not a political appointment, everyone of them wrote exams and got promoted to that position, so sacking a director, even an assistant, is not easy. The Civil Service Commission are the ones with theconstitutional backed to engage, discipline and promote a civil servant.”

Recruitment of Federal Civil Servants is vested in the Federal Civil Service Commission whose establishment is provided for in the constitution. It is headed by a Chairman and with commissioners as members.