Reps give AGF Malami one week to explain letter reinstating Maina

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has been given seven days to furnish the House of Representatives with the report of how letters from his office led to the recall of the former chairman, Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina.

The House ad hoc committee investigating the controversial reinstatement of Maina, who was sacked from service in 2013 and later declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged pension fraud, gave the order to the AGF after he denied having anything to do with Maina’s recall letter that had his office seal.

The committee chaired by an All Progressives Congress (APC) member from Kano State, Mr. Aliyu Madaki, has also summoned the Special Adviser to the AGF, Mr. Kehinde Ogini, to appear before it.

The committee is said to be working on a report which indicted the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation and the Ministry of Interior, of having something to do with the recall of Maina into the service on September 28, 2017.

After the AGF denied having anything to do with Maina’s recall, the committee had asked him to explain his action to unravel how letters bearing his seal left his office without him being aware of it.

To this the AGF said he had ordered the Permanent Secretary in his ministry to set up a committee to investigate the matter.

“The letter dated October 5 was never signed by me. Maina’s case, up to that point, was still work in progress and I wrote KIV on it.

“Again, the letter of February 21 could not have emanated from my office because it did not follow procedure. The matter is under investigation,” the AGF had told the committee.

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Madaki, had in response told the AGF, “Your report should get to us within one week. Whatever you are doing, complete it within one week and report back to us.”

Earlier, Malami had told the committee that his special adviser and line officers in the ministry had kept writing him to approve Maina’s recall but that he was yet to give a final approval on the matter.

The committee had therefore not only requested that the report of AGF investigation into what led to Maina’s recall get to it within seven days, but that Ogini and all the administrative officers in the AGF’s office should appear before it to explain their roles in Maina’s illegal recall.

 

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