The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami SAN, has said that most of the hype being generated by the reinstatement of the chairman of the defunct Presidential Task Team on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina, into the federal civil service is just a media paparazzi. He added that it would not in any way dent the reputation of President Muhammadu Buhari and his anti corruption war.
Malami also said he told President Buhari about his meeting with the wanted Maina, long before the news of Maina’s reinstatement was made public. He, however, said he did not inform the President prior to the meeting. Malami said this in the latest issue of The Interview a magazine published monthly.
Asked if he did not think the reinstatement of Maina would affect the image of President and his anti corruption war, Malami said, “Where is the corruption element in the reinstatement of Maina, assuming without conceding that Maina was indeed reinstated? Are you insinuating that certain corrupt undertones were prevailing? What damage is there against the President as far as this scenario is and pension syndicate is concerned?”
Also asked if he would resign due to the Maina saga, Malami said he would never do so, The minister added, “It boils down to whether I have indeed acted or I have not. If hundreds of Mainas that believe they had information to offer as far as the protection of the national interest is concerned, I will meet them and I will do so again”
Malami said he did not directly ensure the reinstatement of Maina. But when asked why he kept the information secret from the public, he said he decided to do so because of the cynicism of Nigerians. The AGF said after meeting with Maina in Dubai, he returned home and then briefed the President on the information he received from the fugitive and asked Buhari how they could make use of the information given to them by Maina.
Malami said, At the time the meeting was held (with Maina, Mr. President was not aware. But much later, after we returned back home, I took Mr. President into confidence about the information and sought for leave to share it with other agencies with the purpose of blocking leakages. “That was the extent to which the President was aware of the information. He came to be aware of the meeting with Maina much later. It was out of the desire to seek for his directives relating to the information in terms of its application for the purpose of blocking leakages associated with the looting of pension funds”
