Nigeria: Maina's Legal Reprieve and the Fight Against Corruption

30 March 2013

The fleeing Abdulrasheed Maina, former Chairman of the Presidential Task force on Pension reforms last Wednesday got a court-footed reprieve. He had been on the wanted list of the Nigeria Police for over six weeks. Before then, he had done everything in and out of the books to avoid appearing before a senate committee probing his role in the mismanaged N469 billion pension fund.

The late reggae King, Robert Nester popularly called Bob Marley had sung it that The Guilty are Afraid. Too many times, the senate committee invited Maina to hear his side of the story. But he will never show up. He preferred to resort to drama and useless histrionics, claiming that he is either ill or did not get the invitation. But whilst he dodged the senate committee, he kept on mobilizing pauperized pensioners to stage public protests calling on the senate to "Leave Maina alone". Maina put up all kinds of stunts. He probably would have survived it all, until the senate, sufficiently vexed over the defiance and who-are-you attitude, accused the presidency of shielding Maina. This drew the Presidency out, denying the accusation and also asked that Maina be investigated by the Head of Service. The latter still would not find Maina. He was later recommended for sack.

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