There was a mild drama between the Ministry of Interior and the Head of Civil Service, HoS, Winifred Oyo-Ita, on Thursday over the reinstatement of former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reform, Abdulrasheed Maina into the civil service.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Abubakar Magaji, had stated that the decision for the reinstatement of Maina was taken after a meeting between his Ministry and representatives of the Office of the HoS.
Magaji stated that, following the meeting, the HoS was directed to take “further necessary action.”
The Permanent Secretary made the disclosure while addressing the House of Representatives investigative panel on Maina’s reinstatement in Abuja.
According to Magaji, “The Ministry conducted Senior Staff Committee meeting for the reinstatement of Maina after receiving a letter from the office of the Head of Service to reconsider the earlier position taken by the Ministry in dismissing Maina for reinstatement.
“The meeting was held in the Ministry with the presence of the representatives of the Head of Service, the Federal Civil Service Commissioner who without anyone of them, the meeting would have been null and void.
“The meeting took the decision to reinstate Maina and copy of that meeting’s minute was sent to the office of the Head of Service for further necessary action.
“That action, as Civil Servants, we expected a meeting of management committee to look at the presentation of Ministry of Interior Senior staff committee where they will disagree or agree before sending it to the Federal Civil Service Commission for further necessary action.
“The meeting on the reinstatement of Maina was initiated, directed by us to be conducted by the Office of the Head of Service.”
However, Oyo-Ita dismissed the assertion by the Permanent Secretary, saying Magaji’s stance was an indication that he is a “bit limited in facts.”
“For the perm sec to say the reinstatement of Maina was coming from the HoS of the federation was a bit limited in facts,” she said.
Magaji, however, contradicted himself while responding to a question from the panel when he declared that Maina was not reinstated. According to Magaji, “Maina was not reinstated. That he is entering the ministry does not mean he was part of the workforce.
“I challenge anyone who has documents showing that Maina was reinstated and assigned an office in the Ministry of Interior to show it.
“I’m the permanent Secretary. I did not reinstate Maina and I know my colleagues here didn’t do that behind me,” he said.
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