SAN FRANCISCO, November 24, (THEWILL) – Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has declared that his signature on the document that ordered the reinstatement of former Chairman of Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina, into the Federal Civil Service was forged.
These are among the issues contained in a 13-page memorandum, dated November 14, Malami sent to the Senator Emmanuel Paulker-led Senate committee probing Maina’s controversial reinstatement before President Muhammadu Buhari ordered him to be fired.
THEWILL recalls that Maina was sacked by the Federal Civil Service Commission for absconding from his duty post before the controversial reinstatement which attracted national outcry.
Malami, who had appeared three times to expatiate on the memo, insisted that he did not sign the memo that ordered Maina’s return claiming that desperate people bent on smearing his image might have been behind the alleged forgery.
Malami made the same claims at the Aliyu Madaki-led House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigative hearing on the disappearance, reinstatement and promotion of Maina.
He absolved himself of the reinstatement of Maina, saying he delegated the examination of the request by Maina’s lawyers for reinstatement to one of his subordinates.
The AGF said his minutes to correspondences between himself and the line officer in charge of the matter were about the need for the officer to present stronger evidence-based argument for the reinstatement.
“As at 5th October, 2017, the issue of Maina was still work in progress. I did not give any directive that Maina be reinstated,” he said.
“The issue of reinstatement of Maina was done with no strings attached, based on court processes and the fact that none of the parties exercised their rights of appeal. I acted in the best interest of Nigeria, not on any individual’s interest
“The legal opinion of the AGF was anchored on my oath of office and the responsibility of the office. The letter of reinstatement of Maina couldn’t have emanated from my office.
“That letter of 21 February, when I was confronted with that letter by the Senate, it didn’t ring a bell at all in my memory. What I did was going back to the office to call for the file. And then arising from the file, I could confirm that there was a letter from Miana’s lawyer.
“I could confirm that I treated that letter in February and directed the line officer to treat it. I could confirm that the line officer revert back to a memo expressing an opinion with a draft letter, suggesting that I should direct that Maina should be reinstated.
“I could confirm that my mind was agitated over the content and the conclusion of that letter and I could confirm that I minuted on the letter of April that develop further opinion to convince me that the content and conclusion of the judgement in support of the Maina’s lawyer reasonably suggests a conclusion for a consequential effect to the judgment.
“I could confirm that there was no further correspondence from the line office up to sometime in May when the line officer now came up with additional memo and in that memo tried to justify the conclusion that I could direct for the reinstatement of Maina.
“In that memo, reference was made to court process relating to Indutrial Court in which Maina filed an action against the Federal Government.
“And I could confirm as well that I minuted on that memo directing the officer to make available copies of those court processes that were not made available in support of the memo and I could confirm there was no further correspondence in that regard until sometime in October precisely on the 5th day of October when the line officer came up with a clean – up copy of the letter seeking my endorsement. In that letter, he was making reference to the previous correspondence.
“And when the correspondence and processes could not ring bell in my memory until I read the letter with the hope to reduce the situation, it was the point at which the whole media issue surrounding the matter now evolved.
“So, what I am saying in essence, my position is as far as Maina’s request for reinstatement was concerned, it was indeed, a work in progress as at the fifth day of October, 2017.”
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