The secret reinstatement and eventual sacking of the wanted former head of Presidential Task Team on Pension Reforms, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina has brought a new dimension to the anti-corruption stance of the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency.
The new dimension stems from the fact that it will cause a further damage to the blighted anti-corruption report of this administration.
The main selling point of President Buhari was his promise to stamp out corruption in the country. The irony here is that when Maina was arrested back in 2012 and suddenly disappeared, all opposition parties condemned the Federal Government for the way his case and that of his colleagues were handled including those granted ridiculous bail.
Today, APC, the then opposition party is now in charge of reinstating a man that absconded from his duty post as an Assistant Director to the position of a Director in the Federal Civil Service. As if acting a script, the federal government brought Maina back into the civil service in the most secretive manner ever without any publication to that effect despite knowing that the man’s image is still on the EFCC website as a wanted individual.
To make matters worse, the Honourable Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau claimed Maina was posted to his ministry as a Director by the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation – an allegation denied by the Head of Service, Mrs Winnifred Oyo-Ita.
The inability of the Presidency through its numerous Presidential Spokespersons to release a detailed statement denouncing the reinstatement until yesterday October 23, 2017, when the President ordered his sack through a tweet was another anomaly.
At this juncture, it will be expedient if President Buhari can release a detailed statement on what corruption is and what amounts to corruption under his administration, as the actions of the President has shown there is another definition of corruption that we Nigerians may not know. This is necessary in other to save us the stress of labelling him as a man that rewards corruption.
The former SGF Babachir David Lawal is still a free man after being indicted by the Senate for mismanagement of funds budgeted for the war-ravaged North East and awarding contract to a company where he has interest. Also, the recent accusation of non-compliance with due process against the NNPC Managing Director Dr Maikanti Baru is also being handled with kid gloves.
The reinstatement and promotion of Abdulrasheed Maina has cast aspersions on the much hyped “anti-corruption war” of the federal government of Nigeria.
