Buhari silent 48 hours after receiving report on Maina’s reinstatement

President Muhammadu Buhari is yet to announce his response nearly 48 hours after receiving a report on the controversial reinstatement of Abdulrsheed Maina, the former civil servant wanted for alleged corruption.

The report was submitted to the president’s office on Monday few hours after Mr. Buhari instructed the Head of Service, Winifred Oyo-Ita, to do so, presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, confirmed.

But by Wednesday evening, a decision was still awaited by many Nigerians anxious to know the president’s response to a scandal many see as a litmus test for his administration’s anti-corruption sincerity.

Mr. Adesina told Premium Times on Tuesday he had no comment on the development as of the time.

The only media statement emanating from the presidency on Tuesday was one conveying Mr. Buhari’s advice to West African neighbour countries to be cautious about the planned introduction of a common currency.

The president made the call in Niamey, Niger, in a speech at the 4th meeting of the Presidential Task Force on the ECOWAS Currency Programme.

Back home, the secret recall of Mr. Maina to the civil service, a plot apparently masterminded by the Attorney General, Abubakar Malami and the Interior Minister, Abdurahman Dambazau, continued to spark outrage, with the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, delivering an unprecedented public rebuke of a scandal considered by many as the administration’s most brazen yet.

The Senate and the House of Representatives have launched separate investigations, and lawmakers have called for sanctions against those responsible.

Mr. Maina is accused of using fake workers’ names to steal billions of naira of federal pension funds. He denies the allegation, but has since 2013 refused to submit himself to investigation.

Despite his denials, investigators say they have traced expensive upmarket properties in Abuja to the former civil servant.

– Premium Times