Maina: How I recovered N2.93trn pension fund under Jonathan, Buhari, heaps accusation on EFCC

Former Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Pensions, Alhaji Abdurasheed Maina, has accused the immediate past and present leaderships of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) of hounding him because of his insistence that they should account for  the N1.63 trillion and 222 property he recovered under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

Maina accused the leadership of the agency – past and present -of not being able to account for the recovered loot.

Maina, who was speaking in a telephone conversation during a Radio/TV programme Brekete Family, also stated that he recovered another N1.3 trillion under the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He also expressed his readiness to recover another N3trillion hidden in secret accounts if provided with the right security to do so. 

Maina said the recovery of N1.3 trillion and the DSS director’s description of him as an asset to the country had scared the cabal stealing government funds and made them think he would report them to President Buhari. 

He said the ex-EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde was removed from office due to the missing property and money which he (Maina) recovered, wondering why Nigerians were calling for Maina’s head instead of asking questions about the money and the property.

“I recovered N1.63 trillion during Jonathan’s administration and 222 properties which have been in the custody of EFCC. The reason why they are pursuing me is that I told Lamorde and Magu that they must produce these properties. Where are these properties? They can’t account for them. 

“One Chief Obu went to the Senate to say these properties have been shared among a lot of people and the money stolen. That was the reason Lamorde was removed. Now EFCC has been pursuing me because I insisted they must account for these properties and the money that I recovered,” Maina said.

The former task force chairman said he once promised to help recover some stolen monies amounting to N3 trillion, but was refused access to the president by some cabal. 

“Now, there is lot of monies in various accounts in Nigeria. Just like I recovered the N1.63  trillion, the N1.3 trillion, I also said on live television that if given the opportunity by Mr. President in 2017, I told Mr. President that just like I showed you the N1.3 trillion, I will show you other monies amounting to N3trillion. They (cabal) went and blocked me from seeing the president.”

He said if the cabal had not surrounded the president, the country would have moved forward than its present stage.

Maina further said he knew about a secret account in Nigeria National Petroleum Corporations (NNPC) operated by 20 signatories.

He stated that there were many secret accounts operated on behalf of Nigerian government which had stayed up to 10, 15 and 18 years, saying President Buhari would never know or see those accounts even if he stayed in government for another 10 years.

He further said unknown to the Buhari administration, some people in government as well as some retired heads of service and retired permanent secretaries were making withdrawals from these secret accounts.

“There are a lot of accounts in Nigerian government; some of them are more than 10 years, some 15 years, 18 years. President Buhari will never see these accounts even if he stayed for the next 10years in office because those people in government are still in charge of those accounts, some of them are retired heads of service, some are retired permanent secretaries. 

“They are still taking money from these accounts because they cannot take the whole money the banks are using the money to trade and they give them $80 million, $60 million monthly,” Maina said. 

On the N195 billion he alleged Senator Kabiru Gaya accused him of stealing, he said the same lawmaker had previously given him a clean bill of health on a national television as well as a national newspaper when he threatened to expose all the expensive houses he (Gaya) and some of his colleagues bought with pension money.

“When Senator, Kabiru Gaya, who accused me of stealing N195 billion came out after I said if he doesn’t come out to tell Nigerians the truth, how they are taking pensions money and bought houses, he came out again on live television to say Maina did not steal a kobo, he said the N195 billion is inside President Muhammadu Buhari’s Single Treasury Account. Since then till now, nobody had accused me.”

He also stated that the task force he headed was a mere committee which never had its own account, saying nobody gave the committee N2 billion to do its job as being alleged.

“I was not working alone; the pension reform task team never had an account. If someone wanted to travel we would send a letter to the head of service that someone wanted to travel, he would send travel allowance to corporate account. All the people who worked with me are all alive. Why is it that nobody had taken me to court? If I had taken money let them take me to court. I agreed taking these people that accused me to court and I won the court cases.

“Now that Kabiru Gaya had cleared me of the N195 billion, they said I stole N2billion. This same N2billiln they are talking about is for biometrics. It is the same N2 billion that brought N1.63trillion. Supposing I’m giving N2 billion for trading and I brought N1.63 trillion, is it good market or bad market? Nobody had given me N1.

“I was not the account officer. We were not a government entity that was given money. I was only heading a committee which would come and work for a certain number of months and go. 

“We don’t have account, we never had account. Let me tell you why they are after me. They are afraid because I am an expert in the area of recovery. I can see how these people are stealing money. For example, in this Buhari administration, I recovered N1.3 trillion to Nigeria. 

“Nigerians didn’t know until when a court returned me to office and the same situation cabal were scared that I might get in touch with President Buhari to tell him how they have been stealing money.”

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