Trouble for HoS, others as Buhari sacks Maina

Heads may roll in the federal civil service, as angry President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday bore his fangs following the reinstatement of former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdullahi Abdulrasheed Maina.

To show his fury, President Buhari ordered the immediate sack of Maina, querried the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HoS), Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, and ordered a probe of the reinstatment mess. In a memo, according to a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari demanded a full report of the circumstances of Maina’s recall and posting to the Ministry of Interior to be submitted to the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, before the end of work yesterday.

The memo, according to investigation, has thrown the office of the HoS into panic mode. During a visit, workers were seen discussing the matter in hushed tone.

Those who spoke on condition of anonymity, expressed fear that the saga may lead to a purge. Buhari had ordered the immediate disengagement of Maina, 24 hours after the Minister of Interior, Lt Gen (retd) Abdulrahman Dambazau, admitted that he was posted few days ago to the Ministry of Interior by the office of HoS on an acting capacity to fill a vacancy created following the retirement of the director, heading the Human Resources Department in the Ministry. But in what seemed like a reply to the president’s memo, Oyo-Ita denied involvement in the reinstatement of Maina as well as his subsequent posting to the Ministry of Interior.

In a three paragraph statement signed by the Assistant Director (Media Relations), Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mohammed Manga, Oyo-Ita described as misleading media report linking her office to the reinstatement. The statement read: “The attention of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation has been drawn to several media reports that the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation has approved the re- instatement into the Federal Civil Service of Alhaji Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina and his subsequent posting to the Ministry of Interior.

“The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF) wishes to inform the public that the re-instatement and posting of Alhaji Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina never emanated from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

“Consequently, the purported re-instatement and posting by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation is totally erroneous and misleading.”

Spokesperson for the Federal Civil Service Commission, Dr. Joel Oruche, when contacted, said he did not have information on Maina as all the commissioners and directors were at the Public Service Institute (PSI), Abuja. He pleaded to be given time to get the information across. The Presidency, however, confirmed last night that Oyo-Ita had complied with President Buhari’s directive. Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the president, Garba Shehu, said: “I have confirmation that the Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs. Oyo-Ita has brought the report on the reengagement of Abdulrasheed Maina as directed by the President.

This is being studied as other reports are being awaited.” Meanwhile, the Department of State Services (DSS) has also distanced itself from Maina’s recall.

The media unit of the agency in a terse statement said: “There was no correspondence of any sort between the DSS and the Head of Service with respect to Mr. Maina.