Oyo-Ita: Why we haven’t disciplined anyone over Maina’s recall

Winifred Oyo-Ita, head of the civil service of the federation, has spoken on why disciplinary actions have not been taken against those behind the reinstatement of Abdulrasheed Maina into the service.

Maina, former chairman of the presidential task force on pension reforms, was recalled and deployed to the ministry of interior, under controversial circumstances.

Amid the outcry of the news of his reinstatement, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered his sack and asked Oyo-Ita to probe the embarrassing situation.

The federal civil service commission dismissed Maina in 2013, for absconding from duty, following a recommendation by the office of the head of service.

He was accused of being involved in pension fraud running into over N100 billion. After an investigation by the senate joint committee on public service and establishment and state and local government administration, a warrant of arrest was issued against him.

Subsequently, the police declared him wanted and he went into hiding.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Oyo-Ita said no one has been punished because investigations were still ongoing, both at the presidency and the national assembly.

She also traced the delay to the fact that the matter is before a court of “competent jurisdiction”.

“The Maina issue is a controversial one but I will also inform you that right now there is already an investigation exercise going on, both at the presidency level and at the national assembly level,” she said.

“The senate committee and the house of reps committee have set up an investigation on that. And recently there is a court case still on the issue.

“So, with all these investigative machineries in process, and a court case, which you know that once a matter is in court it becomes subjudice, there is really not much one can say or do in terms of disciplinary action or whatever.

“The matter is already being investigated at the highest level both at the executive and the legislative level and now the judiciary.”

Oyo-Ita said the commission was working hard to tackle the issue of illegal recruitments into the service.

She also disclosed that approval had been granted for the restructuring of some offices for effective service.

She listed the affected offices to include the office of the head of the civil service of the federation, National Agency for Great Green Wall, Nigeria Immigration Service, Pharmacist Council of Nigeria, National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration, Optometrist and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board, Nigeria Institute of Soil Science and Corporate Affairs Commission.

She, however, did not give details of the approved restructuring.