HoS is Dodgy On Maina Recall Saga- Keyamo SAN

Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, has faulted the memo written by the
Head of Service, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, to the Chief of Staff to
the President, Abba Kyari, where she warned President Muhammadu
Buhari against the reinstatement of the former Chairman of the
Pension Reforms Commission, Mallam Abdulrasheed Maina, into the
civil service.

In the said memo, Oyo-Ita warned that recalling Maina would have
dire implications on government’s anti-corruption fight.

Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, described the Maina saga
as condemnable, saying the HoS was dodgy in the role she played in
the ongoing saga.

Similarly, he plugged a hole in Oyo-Ita’s claim that she called
the president aside after the Federal Executive Council (FEC)
meeting on October 11, where she orally warned Buhari against
bringing Maina back to the service.

Keyamo said the HoS breached the standard bureaucratic practice
by calling Buhari aside and whispering to his ear, rather than
putting her views in writing.

“I have read her memo very well where she said after the FEC
meeting, she called the president aside, and spoke to him orally.
Government is all about bureaucracy and not oral communication.

If she had reservations about Maina recall, she should have put
it to the president in black and white for him to look at it.
Whispering in itself is not a standard procedure in bureaucracy.
She can not whisper into the ears of the president as if it was a
secret society,” Keyamo queried.

According to Keyamo, Malami’s memo to Oyo-Ita was only advisory
and if she was opposed to the reinstatement of Maina to the
Ministry of Internal Affairs, she should have carried out her
objection in writing to the president.

He said the major characters in the saga-Oyo-Ita and the
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,
Abubakar Malami-fingered in the controversial recall of Maina
before his dismissal by Buhari- of absolving themselves by
indulging in blame game.

He said that the AGF got the matter wrongly and should have
handled it differently by helping EFCC to appeal the court judgment
brought by Maina, instead of reinstating the erstwhile Pensions
Reforms Commission boss.

“The whole saga is messy. First from the angle of the AGF, who
is my friend and brother in Silk. I would have preferred he handled
it differently. If you have a court judgement restraining a law
agency from doing their job, that is, somebody wants you to clarify
certain allegations against you, the person ran away only for him
to come with a court judgement. As the chief law officer, he should
help the system by appealing the judgement. That particular
judgement did not augur well for the anti- corruption crusade,”
Keyamo said.

He also said there was no court order that said that Maina did
not do any wrong thing, nor a court of law that prevented EFCC from
declaring him wanted.

Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, has faulted the memo written by the
Head of Service, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, to the Chief of Staff to
the President, Abba Kyari, where she warned President Muhammadu
Buhari against the reinstatement of the former Chairman of the
Pension Reforms Commission, Mallam Abdulrasheed Maina, into the
civil service.

In the said memo, Oyo-Ita warned that recalling Maina would have
dire implications on government’s anti-corruption fight.

Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, described the Maina saga
as condemnable, saying the HoS was dodgy in the role she played in
the ongoing saga.

Similarly, he plugged a hole in Oyo-Ita’s claim that she called
the president aside after the Federal Executive Council (FEC)
meeting on October 11, where she orally warned Buhari against
bringing Maina back to the service.

Keyamo said the HoS breached the standard bureaucratic practice
by calling Buhari aside and whispering to his ear, rather than
putting her views in writing.

“I have read her memo very well where she said after the FEC
meeting, she called the president aside, and spoke to him orally.
Government is all about bureaucracy and not oral communication.

If she had reservations about Maina recall, she should have put
it to the president in black and white for him to look at it.
Whispering in itself is not a standard procedure in bureaucracy.
She can not whisper into the ears of the president as if it was a
secret society,” Keyamo queried.

According to Keyamo, Malami’s memo to Oyo-Ita was only advisory
and if she was opposed to the reinstatement of Maina to the
Ministry of Internal Affairs, she should have carried out her
objection in writing to the president.

He said the major characters in the saga-Oyo-Ita and the
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,
Abubakar Malami-fingered in the controversial recall of Maina
before his dismissal by Buhari- of absolving themselves by
indulging in blame game.

He said that the AGF got the matter wrongly and should have
handled it differently by helping EFCC to appeal the court judgment
brought by Maina, instead of reinstating the erstwhile Pensions
Reforms Commission boss.

“The whole saga is messy. First from the angle of the AGF, who
is my friend and brother in Silk. I would have preferred he handled
it differently. If you have a court judgement restraining a law
agency from doing their job, that is, somebody wants you to clarify
certain allegations against you, the person ran away only for him
to come with a court judgement. As the chief law officer, he should
help the system by appealing the judgement. That particular
judgement did not augur well for the anti- corruption crusade,”
Keyamo said.

He also said there was no court order that said that Maina did
not do any wrong thing, nor a court of law that prevented EFCC from
declaring him wanted.