Nigerian “students” vow to ground Buhari’s administration in 7 days if…

President Muhammadu Buhari has been given a seven-day ultimatum to either sack all those involved in the fraudulent reinstatement of former Head of Pension Task Force Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, back to civil service or witness a nationwide mass action.

The call was made by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in a statement its president, Chinonso Obasi, released on Sunday in Abuja.

He said, “Just recently, a mind boggling revelation was made of how Maina was smuggled back to the civil service after almost five years of absconding.

“The elevation of Maina from Deputy Director to a Director at the Interior Ministry with evidence of official exchange of correspondence amongst many government officials is nothing but an attempt to ridicule the public image and psyche of Nigerians and the civil service system.

“As advocates of sane and corrupt free Nigeria, we make bold to ask President Muhammadu Buhari to swiftly suspend all heads of commission, extra ministerial departments and ministries involved in this sour saga.”

Regretting the unfortunate development, Obasi said that the allegations and counter allegations over who was and was not responsible for Maina’s reinstatement were embarrassing.

He went further to say, “We insist that same measures taken by the presidency in the cases involving the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency be meted out to everyone involved in the Mainagate.

“This case should be diligently probed and prosecuted and the report should not be swept under the carpet.

“To this end, we hereby issue a 7-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to act and do so with highest sense of sincerity regardless of those involved and their closeness to the corridor of power.”

READ ALSO: MAINA: We can’t afford to have sacred cows in anti-graft war, Obasanjo warns

The president of the students’ union said that if nothing was done at the expiration of its ultimatum, Nigerian students will have no other option than embark on a nationwide mass action.

Before the recent controversial reinstatement, Maina was in 2013 suspended over alleged corruption involving about N2 billion. He later absconded the country and was declared wanted by the EFCC.

The Maina saga is one among the many corruption scandals the government of President Buhari, elected to purge the country of corruption, has had to contend with.

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now