FAYOSE TO BUHARI: Let Maina name thieves in your govt if you’re really fighting corruption

Ekiti State’s Governor Ayodele Fayose has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to welcome Abdulrasheed Maina’s challenge to name the thieves in his government if he is actually fighting corruption.

Maina, who was a former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, had in an interview with Channel Television on Monday, demanded for an audience with President Buhari to afford him the opportunity of revealing corruption in his government.

Responding to the development, Fayose asked Maina to go ahead and reveal to Nigerians the corrupt people surrounding Buhari’s government, and ensure he answers the corruption allegations against him as well as tell Nigerians the truth about his fraudulent reinstatement.

Noting that Maina’s TV interview was explosive, Fayose however regretted that Buhari will look the other way just as he did on the allegation of award of $25 billion contracts leveled against the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC); Dr. Maikanti Baru.

The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu had accused Maikanti of not following due process in the award of the contract.

Fayose’s position was contained in a statement he released on Tuesday through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka. He added that he has again been vindicated on his position that the kind of corruption being perpetrated in President Buhari’s government was unprecedented and mind-boggling.

“The Maina’s challenge is another opportunity for President Buhari to proof to Nigerians that he is actually fighting corruption. But I am sure that since it again bothers on his closest men, he won’t do anything.

“There is no need waiting for the President to conduct public inquiry on the pension scam, Maina should just go ahead and tell Nigerians who the thieves among Buhari’s men are.

“Even after naming them, Maina should not expect any action from the President. Rather, he should be contented with satisfying his conscience and putting those Buhari’s men that he said are pretending to be saints in the court of public opinion.”

While maintaining his position on the self-appointed human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), over the allegation by the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), linking the lawyer to a N1 billion property on Gana Street, Maitama, Abuja, Governor Fayose said it was sad that Falana and his collaborators have turned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to their source of huge income.

“EFCC has become Falana’s daily meal. Falana and his collaborators live on EFCC. They have turned themselves to brokers of bail and suppliers of lawyers to accused persons while at the same buying seized properties at ridiculous amount.

READ ALSO: Fayose, EFCC quarrel over pension thieves’ mansion allegedly sold to Falana

“Even the likes of Madaki, who have retired from service, have been brought back into the system so that he can continue to help them to perpetrate fraud,” he said.

Maina is alleged to have defrauded Nigeria while serving as pension boss in 2013, of about N2.1 billion. The allegation led to his escape from the country after he was declared wanted by the EFCC. He was also dismissed from the civil service.

However, Maina got reinstated into the civil service in a controversial circumstance not long ago but was sacked again following a media report exposing his reinstatement. He has remained in hiding since his sack in October.

 

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