Nigerian Senate Wants Pension Chief Arrested

The Senate, the upper chamber of Nigeria’s National Assembly, on Wednesday adopted a motion asking President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately sack Abdulrasheed Maina, the Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, (PRTT) for gross misconduct.

The Senators reached this conclusion after a debate on a motion sponsored by its majority leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba on the continuous stay of Maina in office in spite of the recommendations that he should be sacked by the Committee of the Upper chamber which investigated administration of pension payments in the country.

The PRTT Chairman has repeatedly shunned invitations of the Committee to come and explain the activities of his Task Force, on the allegations that members of the panel are on witch hunting mission. The Police recently declared Maina wanted on the instruction of the National Assembly. On the other hand, the PRTT Chairman has also recently dragged the Senate to Court based on allegations that the legislative chamber is out to intimidate him. Most Senators who spoke on the issue pointedly and unusually accused the President and the Federal Government of colluding with Dr. Maina to perpetrate the crime against Nigerians. “Maina has scored an own-goal against Nigeria and Nigerians. Maina is working for the Executive and the President is the Chief Executive. It means the executive is collaborating with him.

The President must move to equalize the own-goal and go ahead to score the winning goal to restore the credibility of the government,” Senator Olubunmi Adetumbi noted during debate on the issue. “We have no reason to be here if we will pass resolutions and the Executive will not implement them, then what are we doing here?” Senator Smart Adeyemi said, while also condemning the Executive for repeated failure to honour resolutions passed by the Senate. But the Senate not only asked the President to dismiss Maina on Wednesday, it also ordered the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, to appear before it to explain why the police failed to act on the warrant of arrest issued on Dr. Maina for repeatedly refusing to honour a Senate invitation over the controversial N195 billion pension scam. The lawmakers threatened to pass a vote of no confidence on the IGP if he failed to honour the invitation.

Source: Legit.ng