Abdulrasheed Maina
The embattled former Chairman of the
Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, has written to Senate
President Bukola Saraki a letter in which he claimed that pension funds
amounting to more than N3 trillion were trapped in 97 pension offices
before he fled the country.
Maina, in the letter dated June 19, 2015, which he wrote shortly
after he returned to the country from self-exile, had sought a review of
his case and a probe of the various actions taken against him by some
people he claimed were bent on intimidating him.
He also accused the 7th Senate of aiding and abetting pension thieves across the country.
The letter addressed to Senator Saraki was titled ‘Pension Reform
Task Team: Appeal for Review of Investigation Probe by Senate Joint
Committee on Establishment and Public Service and States and Local
Government Administration 2011-2013.’
Maina, who recently returned to self-exile following a public
uproar against his alleged reinstatement as a director in the Ministry
of Interior while he was still wanted by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged embezzlement of N2 billion pension
funds, claimed in the letter leaked to newsmen in Kaduna yesterday that
his task team, which began operation in January 2011, saved about N1.6
trillion from pension thieves.
“We used financial intelligence skills to achieve
ground-breaking achievements in our assignment. We recovered and saved
cash and properties worth over N1.6trillion,” he said.
According to him, the team’s efforts led to the arrest of 46
persons and firms involved in looting pension funds, who were handed
over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and whose trials
were still ongoing.
The more than N3 trillion Maina said was waiting to be recovered from 97 government agencies was as at 2015.
The leaked letter indicated that the pension boss resurfaced in the
country shortly after the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari on
May 29, 2015.
The letter reads: “We, members of Pension Reform Task Team
(PRTT), wish to use this medium to apologise for our little late
response to reaching back to you.
“We had to put the issues together and source for appurtenant materials. We appreciate your understanding sir.
“As a refresher, the PRTT was inaugurated on 10th June, 2010 by
the immediate past administration of Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR,
with a clear mandate to restructure the Head of Service Pension Office,
Police Pension Office, among others.
“We did our utmost with precision and national interests as our guiding principles
“The PRTT took off effectively by January 2011.
“We used financial intelligence skills to achieve ground-breaking achievements in our assignment.
“We recovered and saved cash and properties worth over N1.6 trillion.
“Our efforts led to the arrest and prosecution of 46
persons/firms involved in looting of pension funds which we handed to
the EFCC. The trials are still ongoing.
“As it is, there is a leakage of N256 billion monthly from the current IPPIS, which needs to be blocked urgently.
“We are also aware of some government hidden accounts which needs to be mopped up.
“We can be used to engage any department of government in
sanitising the financial workflow to avoid loose ends that remain
susceptible to leakages.
“Based on the revelations of massive/monumental fraud and
outright stealing of pension funds, which was brought to public
attention by the PRTT, the 7th National Assembly by resolution dated 2nd
November, 2011 mandated its Committee on Establishment and Public
Service, State and Local Government Administration, to conduct a
comprehensive investigation into the management and administration of
pension funds in Nigeria.
“There was general expectation that the various dimensions of
irregularities associated with the management of pension funds in
Nigeria would come to an end as a consequence of the investigations
being conducted by the Senate Joint Committee.”
Maina maintained that the Senate Joint Committee ended up creating
more problems than solutions to the endemic corruption and fraud
prevailing in the system because while the Senate haunted them, it
favoured the “pension thieves”.
“We became objects of corruption fighting us back. From our
first appearance before the Senate committee, it was obvious that the
entire exercise conducted by the Committee was geared towards
discrediting the PRTT,” the letter stated.
Arguing that before leaving Nigeria, following threats to his life,
the PRTT had worked so hard that pension payments stabilised, Maina
noted that the biometric system adopted by the team exposed 73,000 ghost
pensioners in the office of the Head of Service alone.
“Some pensioners got backlog of about 30 years paid into their
accounts. All payments were ordered under the signature of the Head of
Service monthly,” he said.
He added: “However, the PRTT regrets to observe that rather
than achieving the objectives of the spirit and its mandate, which in
our view includes but not limited to identifying those responsible for
the culture of fraud that characterised the system and bringing them to
book, the Senate Joint Committee ended up creating more problems than
solutions to the endemic corruption and fraud prevailing in the system.
“In this context, the PRTT, wishes to state without any fear of
contradiction that the Senate Joint Committee’s Report submitted, which
was subsequently adopted by the 7th Senate but now quashed by the
Federal High Court judgement of the 13th March 2013 in favour of the
PRTT’s Chairman, not only failed to address the issues at stake but
succeeded in misleading the Senate and the generality of Nigerians about
the true picture, nature and scope of problems militating against the
efficient management and administration of Pension Funds in Nigeria.
Copy of said judgement attached and marked “ANNEXURE1”.”
Maina also alleged that shortly after he was forced out, the office
of the Head of Service was enmeshed in a N35bn fraud. He added that the
ICPC conducted investigation into the matter but regretted that “till date, they are yet to commence the prosecution.”
“Today, it (pension) is worse with the Police pension office
where daily so much millions are taken out of pension funds in that
office. We have evidence to substantiate this,” he added.
On his dismissal, Maina said the process was concluded under 36 hours without giving him the opportunity to be heard.
The letter said: “As we write to you, Abdulrasheed A. Maina has
been dismissed from Civil Service for being absent for three days while
his life was under threat following gunshot attack on his person in
front of Head of Civil Service Office where his office was located in
February, 2013. Attached are copies of letters from Nigeria Police
Force. “ANNEXURE 3 (a) and (b)”.
“The Task Team and its leadership were not only denied the
opportunity for a fair hearing before being pronounced guilty of all
manner of allegations, but even where the Task Team appeared before the
Committee, salient facts related to the issues at stake were
deliberately ignored.”
He added that an appeal to the 7th Senate for fair hearing was
ignored. As a result, the PRTT approached the Federal High Court Abuja
in suit number: FH/ABJ/CS/65/2013. He said the court ruled in his favour
on 13th March, 2013 noting that till date, the Senate had yet to appeal
the judgment of the court.
Maina, in the said letter, said: “We are by this letter
appealing to the Federal Government in the spirit of CHANGE which the
country is witnessing, and the stand of government on corruption, that
opportunity be given to us to present the truth about pension management
in Nigeria.”
Reacting to Maina’s letter, the Special Adviser (Media) to the
Senate President, Yusuf Olaniyonu, said the present Senate leadership
ignored it because the last Senate had taken a decision on the pension
matter and there was no reasonable ground to review it.
***
Via The Nation
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