A group of Borno Professionals has come up with a strong support for the former Pension boss who has been declared wanted.
A group of professionals from Borno State under the aegis of Borno Young Professionals have called on the Federal Government and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC], to make the investigation of the ex-Pension boss, Abdulrasheed Maina open.
The group under the leadership of Comrade Mshelia Suleman, at a wold press conference held in Abuja on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, called on the government to stop what they call the persecution of their son as he did not do anything wrong to warrant the harassment he is being made to go through.
Addressing newsmen at the conference, Comrade Suleman said Maina had done so much for Nigeria and therefore should not be treated like a common criminal.
Part of the keynote address reads:
"We welcome you all to this important briefing; we thank you for honouring our invitation. It has become incumbent on us as a people to speak to the press over the ongoing persecution of our brother, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina, who has done so much for Nigeria in terms of Pension restructuring and recovery of looted public funds.
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About a month ago, the airwave of the country was awash with the news of Mr. Maina being reinstated and disengaged by the Federal Government without any recourse to the looted pension funds recovered by Mr. Maina's Pension Reform Committee.
It is a sad moment for us, the entire people of Borno, that a country with the image of anti-corruption could still behave like that of the celebrated corrupt era without informing Nigerians and the world the bold steps taken to curb corruption through the PRTT headed by our son, Abdulrasheed Maina.
Gentlemen of the press, it is disheartening to hear that after the recovery of N1.6 trillion by Mallam Maina and his committee, which has the EFCC was an integral part of, the same anti-graft agency would now be accusing Maina of mismanaging N2.1 billion which was not given to him and his committee but paid directly to contractors and officials of EFCC, ICPC, the present DG of the NIA, representative of the Accountant General of the Federation, representative of Comptroller of the Immigration, the Police, Prisons and the Nigerian Customs.
This money was paid through the office of the Head of Service of the Federation only to be supervised by the PRTT lead by Mr. Maina.
It is also in the public domain that the former President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan approved 3.4% of the total recovered funds for the committee as compensation which, up to this moment, our son is yet to benefit from.
We must let the world know that the various allegations by the EFCC against the person of Alhaji Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina are a calculated campaign, not only against his person but the entire Borno Young Professionals.
The Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Mustapha Magu is also from Borno and has been working with Alhaji Maina; he knows his importance to the nation.
This is true because, as a professional, you may not be bold to deliver the needed services when given a serious assignment that regards corrupt elements in the country.
This is corruption fighting back and some interested government officials are not being sincere to Nigerians by letting the world know what actually transpired as a result of Alhaji Maina's unblemished and courageous job as chairman of the PRTT.
We the Borno youths shall not allow our brother, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina, to come out except the Federal Government sets up a panel that is equivalent to that of Justice Oputa where every trial will be done in the open for Nigerians to know the actual details of what took place while he held fort as the chairman of PRTT.
We say no to a political investigation; it must be open. The EFCC is not clean enough to even start investigating an issue they actively took part in.
We must tell Nigerians the real pension thieves. Intimidation will not work in this 21st century because people voted the government and as such, must be seen to be checkmating any institution that constitutes itself as the alfa and omega of sincerity.
Mr. Yusuf Teidi had accused some Senators of the 7th Senate of having taken bribes of N3 billion through Sen. Etuk of the 7th Senate earlier than now.
President Muhammadu Buhari belongs to everybody but we believe that he is being shielded from the truth. Mr. President must do justice to the people especially the pensioners by ensuring that the N3 trillion stashed in the 97 other pension offices and mini outfits as revealed by our brother's letter to the Senate are fully recovered.
What crime has our son committed? That he was given the assignment to restructure pension and he did it by blocking loopholes where funds were being siphoned through is now an offense?
He recovered so much money, investments, properties, etc, and the same system is being used to crush him right in front of Nigerians and we were beclouded by the paid media frenzy without looking in between the lines.
If President Buhari sets up an open investigative panel, we guarantee Nigerians that Maina would be more celebrated and many corrupt Nigerians will run away and leave their jobs.
That is why an institution is being used to concoct fabricated stories by coercing some staffers of the Head of Service into writing baseless stories against Maina. Let's have the panel and see the aftermath.
Nigerians are too wise to abandon N1.6 trillion in pursue of N2.1 billion. We can not be distracted by the diversionary tactics of mischievous persons who are out to sabotage the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari at this critical time that Alhaji Maina is helping the government.
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We want to thank the Honourable Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, who stands on the part of truth by ensuring that Nigerians know the details of the reinstatement of our brother, Alhaji Maina and its legality.
This is how a man of honour and integrity is recognized. We know that Malami has been the strongest supporter and corrupt free Minister in the Buhari government and this is no news to all.
We are not deterred; we believe in justice; we are committed to the anti-corruption war of President Buhari and shall do our best to rid our country of corruption.
Thank you and God bless you all.
Mshelia Suleiman
Coordinator."
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