A league of civil society groups has explained why the former Pension Reform Task Team boss, Dr Abdulrasheed Maina, was recalled into the civil service, saying a “perpetual injunction restraining his arrest still stands even after the judge had ruled that status-quo be maintained in his case.

In a statement signed in Abuja on Saturday, the National Secretary, Amb. Mukhtar Akoshile, said that since the judgement was given, the pronouncement was neither appealed nor upturned by a superior court.

While describing the report as “absolute falsehood, misleading, unfounded and deliberate attempt to cast aspersion on the integrity of Dr Abdulrasheed Maina” the group urged the general public to disregard and discountenance the publication.

“For avoidance of doubt, it is on record that Dr. Abdulrasheed Maina was absolved of any wrong doing while he headed the Pension Reform Task Team. You’ll recall that on Wednesday, March, 27, 2013 a Federal High Court headed by Justice Adamu Bello (Rtd) granted a perpetual injunction restraining his arrest. The court also set aside an earlier warrant of arrest issued on him.

“According to Justice Adamu Bello, who delivered the judgment in the enforcement of Fundamental Human Right suit instituted by Maina, the verdict is pegged on the ground that the Senate did not follow due process in issuing the warrant of arrest. The judge also noted that the Senate failed to annex all necessary documents to aid the dismissal of Maina’s request before the court.

“It is pertinent to disabuse the minds of the public who must have read the story that also quoted an imaginary EFCC source who claimed that Dr. Abdulrasheed Maina is still on their ‘wanted list’. This allegation is entirely untrue and incorrect. The perpetual injunction restraining his arrest still stands even after the judge had ruled that status-quo be maintained in his case. This pronouncement was neither appealed nor upturned by a superior court. Are these not enough reasons to justify his reinstatement back to the civil service?

“You’ll also recall that Senator Kabiru Gaya, A deputy Chairman of the Senate’s 7th Assembly on Establishment now Chairman, Senate Committee on Works recanted their witch hunt against Dr Maina and came out with this revelation. According to him, “during the 7th Senate, we were able to do a probe of the pension scam. I was a co-chair of that committee. During that investigation, we were able to discover N195 billion stocked in accounts of various Departments, Agencies and Ministries (MDAs) for pension and they were not using those monies. These are kinds of money that form part of the TSA.

“Maina was ordered to be reinstated into his rightful position as a a Federal Director (even though some of his mates are now permanent secretaries) and so the government President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR obeyed the erudite pronouncement of the judiciary. Maina was reinstated as a Director in the civil service of the federation.

“Nigeria has gone beyond the era of propaganda, personal hatred, lack of investigative journalism and bidding of pension looters game.” (Blueprint)

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