It was a day of drama in the House of Representatives Thursday as its committee investigating the Abdulrasheed Maina saga heard a myriad of testimonies including one from an unnamed man who prevenred the Committee from closing because he wanted Maina’s lawyer to prove that the former Task Yeam Chairman on Pension was still being paid by the Federal Government.
In the end, Maina’s counsel, who was earlier shut up on the same issue explained that the money he (Maina) got as compensation for his dismissal was the proof.
The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, earlier revealed that the Federal Government stopped the payment of salary to the former Chairman of the Pension Task Force Team, Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, in March 2013.
She told the Ad-Hoc Committee Investigating the Disappearance, Re-appearance, Re-instatement and Promotion of Maina that he was last paid by the Federal Government in February 2013.
She said, “We used two platforms in the payment of salaries – the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).
“We have checked our records and we have no record or evidence from the two platforms that salary was paid to Maina since March 2013. We have no biometric data of Maina and he is not a staff of the Federal Ministry of Finance or its agencies.”
The Accountant General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, who also appeared before the Ad-Hoc Committee, also reinforced the position of the Minister of Finance that Maina was removed from the Federal Government’s payroll in March 2013.
“From our records, Maina last received salary from the Federal Government in February 2013. From March 2013, Maina was removed from the Government’s payroll. If indeed he was paid as he claimed, he should produce evidence of payment by the Government such as pay slips,” Idris stated.
Senate ordered the sack of Maina which was done and also ordered the his arrest.
The Head of the Civil Service, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, was emphatic that going by official records, Maina was not re-instated because the letter that should have done so was still in her possession and had not been released from from her office or signed for.
The man at the center of the recall saga, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), who was said to have directed the Federal Civil Service Commission to process the recall of Maina, denied he wrote such a letter.
He found it difficult to convince committee members and other stakeholders that he did not issue the directive to the civil service commission to recall Maina.
Fugitive Maina had early this week appealed from hiding to meet President Muhammadu Buhari, to explain his role in the scandal, and help the government retrieve over one trillion Naira pension funds.
In his own submission, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Alhaji Lawal Daura, explained to the House Committee why Maina was not arrested.
“Maina could not be arrested because he was not on our watch list. Let me state that the Service has nothing to do with the reinstatement of Maina back into the Civil Service and his promotion.
“Maina had written to us asking for protection claiming threat to his life and we are looking at the matter.
“In March, the Attorney General of the Federation had approached me that Maina wanted them to meet and I advised him to go with a third party. He later told me that he met with Maina in company of the National Security Adviser.
“The outcome of the meeting must have been made available to this committee previously.”
To add pep to the deconstrution of Maina, Comptroller-General of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Mohammed Babandede, disclosed that in addition to being a Nigerian, the comtroversial, but sacked civil servant is an American citizen.
