N195 billion Pension Fund: Group tells EFCC to delete Maina’s name from No Fly list

A coalition of civil societies in Nigeria under the auspices of Nigerians United Against Corruption has ask the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately delete Mallam Abdulrasheed Maina’s name from the no fly list of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

The group said for allowing Mr. Maina’s name on the no fly list after a glorious five court verdicts against the commission is a clear case of corruption.

The group insisted that, the recent testimony by Sen. Kabiru Gaya , the Senate committee chairman on Local Government Administration who was a co-chairman of the Senate Committee on pension probe, that he said N195 billion is in the government account has vindicated Mr Maina; as such, keeping his name on the no fly list and red alert of the interpol is a clear case of fraud and victimization.

Addressing Journalists in Abuja, the National Coordinator of the group Mr. Oluwasanmi Solomon emphasised that, for the on going war against corruption to succeed, the likes of Abdulrasheed Maina must be allowed a free man having proved beyond reasonable doubt, his innocency and survived all the allegations against him by anti-Nigeria elements.

“Nigerians need the likes of Maina to assist the present government in recovering public funds. Here is a man who recovered N1.6 trillion for the Nigeria government in 2013, we believe that he has the knowledge of fund recovery, so, he should be allowed to assist the government instead of malicious persecution.”

Oluwasanmi said the perpetual isolation of Mr Maina from circulation is a clear demonstration of anti-government tendencies by the EFCC authority to sabotage the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in the ongoing war against corruption.

Earlier in 2013, Sen. Kabiru Gaya was on BBC and other national and international media where he labeled Mr Maina as a national thief who stole N195billion of pension fund.

The Senate wrote the head of service of the federation with the recommendation of sack and the EFCC to arrest and prosecute Mr Maina.

As a deputy Director, Maina was sacked and Gazetted  while the EFCC  has being on his neck.

In a recent interview published on Nigeria based Newspaper, the Sun on the 12th of April 2016, Sen. Gaya maintained that the said N195billion is stocked in Agencies of government and formed part of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) of the federal government,thus  exonerating Abdulrasheed Maina.

Shortly before Gaya’s confession,  Mr Maina had approach a magistrate court challenging  his wanted declaration by the EFCC, insisting that, he has never been invited by the commission. In his ruling, the chief magistrate  Judge 1, His Worship,  A.U Shuiabu set aside the warrant and made it public that, the said court where the EFCC has claimed she got the warrant of arrest from has no jurisdiction to issue such warrant.

However, Nigerians are beginning to worry over senator Gaya’s testimony, the anti graph agencies ought to would have invited Sen. Gaya for questioning especially for deforming Mr Maina’s character which caused him his job as a deputy Director in the Federal Civil Service. A retired civil servant Mr Adodo David said , Maina is not guilty from the beginning and we know it. Who forced Kabiru Gaya to tell the truth now? God has vindicated Maina as such, if the EFCC continue to allow his name on the no fly list within the next 72 hours, we the pensioner will have no option than to take mass action against her.