Abdulrasheed Maina was not always wanted for corruption. He was the Chairman of Pension Reform Task Team and achieved alot before he was declared wanted for alleged misappropriation of pension funds.
In 2010, Maina was drafted by Goodluck Jonathan-led administration, to sanitize a corrupt pension system.
Two years later, he was accused of leading a massive pension fraud scheme amounting to more than N100bn.
Prior to the allegations against Maina, he was able to recover about N241bn for the Federal Government, of which N74bn was used to fund the 2012 budget.
He was able to rid the Pension Scheme of 73, 000 ghost pensioners and brought on board 43, 000 genuine pensioners, who were previously unregistered.
Maina, in a bid to reduce the stress and hardship pensioners are subjected to as well as expenses made during the verification exercises annually, introduced the use of smart card. He said once the new smart card for pensioners becomes operational, it will save the Federal Government N42.6bn annually.
In 2013, the motion to remove Abdulrasheed Maina from office was moved by Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, alongside 107 Senators of the 109 Senate Members.
Maina was invited six times, to face the Senate Joint Committee on Public Service and Establishment and State and Local Government Administration, to answer questions on missing pension funds, but he consistently refused to honour any of the invitations.
He was recommended for dismissal by the Federal Civil Service Commission in the same year.
Investigations by the Committee revealed that Maina’s Team misappropriated N1.7bn from 2006 – 2009. However, Maina noted that his team was inaugurated in 2010, whereas the Senate Committee report shows that his team misappropriated N1.7bn from 2006 – 2009, when it had not been inaugurated.
In 2013, he stated that he was fast losing confidence in Nigeria, adding that he had become a villain for saving the country billions of naira being stolen daily, by pension thieves.
In his words, “Already, I have gone to court to redeem my name, save my team, with a view to go further to expose the big names behind the cabal, but with what I have seen so far, I doubt if Nigeria is worth dying for”. He said
Maina who has been on the run, has been recalled through the Office of the Head of Service, as recommended by the Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
Prior to his reinstatement, he held the position of an Assistant Director. He was however promoted to the position of a Director, Human Resources in the Ministry of Interior.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, (rtd.) confirmed Maina’s resumption of duty in his Ministry, but denied being involved in the reinstatement process.
Reports however have it that the Assistant Director (Press), Office of Head of Service of the Federation, Mohammed Manga, said it is an error for the public to assume that because a Director in the Civil Service was recommended for sack, it is automatic.
“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, every one of them wrote exams and got promoted to that position, and so sacking a Director even an Assistant is not easy. The Civil Service Commission is the one constitutionally backed to engage, discipline and promote a Civil Servant”.
