Following Monday’s directive by President Muhammadu Buhari ordering immediate dismissal of former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Mr Abdulrasheed Maina, from federal civil service, fresh facts have come to light showing the involvement of Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, and his counterpart in Ministry of Interior, Mr Abdulrahman Dambazau, in the embattled director’s promotion and reinstatement in the civil service.

Maina, who had been at large since 2013 when he was declared wanted by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over his suspected involvement in a N2 billion pension scam, suddenly resurfaced recently with his redeployment to Ministry of Interior as Director, Human Resources Department.

Prior to his redeployment, Maina was an assistant director and had been sacked by the past administration of President Goodluck Jonathan over his involvement in the pension scam.

Despite efforts by the National Assembly to get him to appear before the probe panel investigating the scandal, Maina absconded from the country to United Arab Emirates (UAE) to evade arrest and prosecution, forcing EFCC to place him on the Interpol list of wanted people.

However, Buhari, following the uproar over his recent promotion and redeployment to the interior ministry, Monday ordered his immediate dismissal from the civil service.

Malami, Dambazau’s Role in Reinstatement
However, a letter from Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) has shown that contrary to the impression created by the interior ministry that it knew nothing about Maina’s reabsorption and redeployment to the ministry, blaming it on Oyo-Ita’s office, it was indeed Malami and Dambazau who worked hand-in-hand to get Maina reinstated and promoted.

The FCSC letter approving his promotion and reinstatement as a deputy director on Salary Grade Level (SGL) 16 and granting approval to Maina to sit for the next promotion exam to the post of director on SGL 17, also detailed the correspondence between AGF, Office of Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) and Senior Staff Committee of the Ministry of Interior that led to Maina’s reinstatement in the civil service.

Also speaking on the development, a highly placed source in the OHCSF said Monday that the office was unaware of the reinstatement of Maina in the service.

“The Head of Service did not convey this directive, rather she sought audience with Mr. President and gave him a full brief on this matter with supporting documentation.

“She is at a loss to know why the haste for Maina’s recall/resumption when no such approval has been conveyed to him by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. There is a lot of foul play going on.

“A lot of very prominent people were interested in his recall and playing all sorts of games to push the wrongdoing onto my boss’s head. They have failed,” the source stated.

Supporting this claim, the FCSC letter with Ref No. 4029.82/Vol.III/179 to the Head of Civil Service, dated September 18, 2017 and signed on behalf of the chairman of the commission by Mr Mustapha L. Sulaiman, showed that Malami and Dambazau actually pulled the strings for his recall into the civil service.

The letter said: “Kindly refer to the Attorney-General of the Federation/Honourable Minister of Justice’s letter Ref No. HAGF/FSCC/2017/VOL.1/3 dated 27th April 2017, requesting Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) to give consequential effect to the judgment that voided the warrant of arrest issued against A.A. Maina, which formed the basis for the query and his eventual dismissal.

“Further to the aforementioned letter, the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) at its meeting held on 14th June 2017, deliberated on the Attorney-General of the Federation’s letter and requested the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), vide letter FC.4029/82/VOL.III/160 of 21st June 2017 to advise the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior to consider the AGF’s letter, the officer’s case and make appropriate recommendation to the Commission.

“The OHCSF accordingly advised Ministry of Interior to consider the matter. The Ministry of Interior at its Senior Staff Committee’s (SSC) meeting held on 22nd June 2017 considered the disciplinary case against the officer and the letter by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice seeking the reinstatement of the officer as a director (Administration), SGL. 17 in the Federal Civil Service.

“The Ministry of Interior’s Senior Staff Committee deliberated on the case and recommended that Mr. Maina be reinstated into the service as Deputy Director SGL. 16.

“The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) vide letter Ref. No. HCSF/LU/COR/FCSC/749/III/135, dated 14th August 2017, forwarded the recommendations of the Senior Staff Committee (SSC) of the Ministry of Interior to the FCSC for further necessary action.

“The FCSC at its meeting held on Wednesday, 16th August, 2017, considered the letter from the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and the recommendations of the Senior State Committee of the Ministry of Interior on the disciplinary case against Mr Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina, Deputy Director (Administration), Salary Grade Level 16.

“FCSC, thereafter, approved the reinstatement of the officer into the service with effect from 21st February 2013 (being the date he was earlier dismissed from service).

“The FCSC also approved for the officer to sit for the next promotion examination to the post of Director (Administration), SGL 17.

“I am therefore to convey the approval of FCSC for the reinstatement into the Service of Alhaji Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina, Deputy Director (Administration), SGL 16.”

Thisday