Jonathan fires Maina, but silent on pension boss’ prosecution

President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday removed embattled former head of the presidential task force on pension reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina; nearly a month after a senate’s resolution urged the president to act.
The Senate had asked the president to fire Mr. Maina and order his prosecution for his alleged role in a N195 billion pension fraud. The lawmakers also accused Mr. Maina, an assistant director in the ministry of interior, of snubbing its repeated summons.
In a statement on Friday, the Customs, Immigration and Prison Pension Office, CIPPO, said Mr. Maina was removed as the Director of CIPPO.
Mr. Maina, who headed the office, will be replaced by Olabisi Jaji, while Elizabeth Zenetimi, will serve as the deputy director. The directive took effect March 4, the statement said.
Mrs. Jaji was the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics in the Federal Ministry of Environment, while Mrs. Zenetimi, worked as a former Deputy Director in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.
The president had earlier ordered the Head of Civil Service of the federation, Isa Sali, to sanction Mr. Maina.
Friday’s decision closed one chapter of a controversy that raged for months between the senate and Mr. Maina. But the government has yet to respond to the call for Mr. Maina’s prosecution.