The Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita,on Monday countered the claim by the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, that she had a hand in the recall of Mr. Abdullahi Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms.
Following the controversy generated by the reinstatement of Maina, Dambazau had said the Head of Service and the Federal Civil Service Commission should be held responsible.
But in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, Oyo-Ita said Dambazau lied that her office was involved in the recall of Maina.
The statement debunking the claim was signed by the Assistant Director Media Relations, OHCSF, Mr Mohammed Manga.
The statement reads in part: “The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation wishes to inform the public that the re-instatement and posting of Alhaji Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina never emanated from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
“Consequently, the purported re-instatement and posting by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation is totally erroneous and misleading.”
It would be recalled that earlier in the day, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the immediate disengagement from service of Mr. Abdullahi Abdulrasheed Maina.
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According to a statement issued on Monday by the president’s media aide, Mr. Femi Adesina, a memo to the effect that Buhari has fired Maina was issued by the president to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
The president equally demanded a full report of the circumstances of Maina’s recall and posting to the Ministry of Interior.
The report is to be submitted to the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, before the end of work on Monday.
Before Buhari fired Maina, controversy had trailed the recall of Maina to fill a vacancy created following the retirement of the director heading the Human Resources Department in the Ministry.
The curiosity arose from the fact that Maina who was the chairman of the Presidential Task Team on Pension Matters was declared wanted in 2015 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He was alleged to have had a hand in the fraudulent biometric contracts through which he, Steve Oronsaye, former head of service, and two others allegedly stole over N2billion of pension funds.
The EFCC had at the time, secured an arrest warrant which would enable the arrest of Maina “wherever he is in the world.”
The International Police was also involved in the search for Maina.
