The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, to arrest the embattled chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina dead or alive and produce him before the Senate as earlier directed by the red chamber of the National Assembly.
The order was sequel to a motion by the House seeking concurrence with the Senate resolution on dismissal of Alhaji Maina over his refusal to appear before the Senate to defend the alleged mismanagement of pension funds moved by House Chairman on Rules and Business, Honourable Albert Sam-Tsokwa.
The Senate had last Wednesday, called for Maina’s dismissal for allegedly misappropriating and mismanaging about N295 billion pension funds and for his refusal to honour several invitations to him to appear before the Senate Committee on Establishment and Local Government to defend himself.
The House, however, concurred “that Mr Abdulrasheed Maina be dismissed from the Public Service of the Federal Republic of Nigeria immediately and be disengaged from all acts relating to public duty; that the Inspector General of Police appears before the Senate to give reasons he did not act on the warrant issued by the President of the Senate” and “that Mr Abdulrasheed Maina should be immediately arrested, investigated and prosecuted.”
Speaking before the motion was passed, Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila said that, “we are not seeking to perform the function of the executive, we are only asking the executive to dismiss him”.
Most speakers, who spoke on the motion, supported the concurrence except Honourable Kingsley Chinda, who cautioned his colleagues on concurring with the Senate resolution, saying the Presidency had already come out to deny supporting Maina and had equally ordered the Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Isa Sali to take necessary action against him.
But in his ruling, the Speaker, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, called on “the IGP to use every available means, including Interpol to arrest Maina. We cannot be fighting corruption in isolation through selective processes. Though Maina has not been pronounced guilty by any court of law but all facts available are against him”.
Meanwhile, the House has resolved to probe the revelation of the Minister of State for Finance, Dr Yerima Ngama, that 45,000 ghost workers were discovered through Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System, (IPPIS) and over N100 billion saved through the exercise.
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Source: Tribune
