Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has said that the Muhammadu Buhari administration’s credibility is in doubt in the fight against corruption.
Falana said that the handling of the scandal generated by the recall of Maina has eroded the credibility of the anti-corruption crusade of the Buhari administration.
“President Buhari should act with dispatch on Mainagate” that “time is certainly not on the side of President Buhari, in a statement Sunday.
Falana advised President Muhammadu Buhari to as a mater of urgency take action against all officials involved in the controversial recall of the former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina.
“Therefore, the sanctions which the Federal Government will mete out to all the officials who conspired to expose the administration and the nation to such avoidable shame will make or mar the fight against corruption and impunity which is the cornerstone of the domestic and foreign policy thrust of the administration.”
Falana’s advice was sequel to a statement credited to the family of Abdulrasheed Maina, accusing Buhari administration of official betrayal.
“In view of the revelation of the family which has not been denied, it is crystal clear that the highly placed officials of the federal government who brought Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina back to the country, gave him a clean bill of health, provided him with “necessary security”, reinstated him, promoted him and paid his arrears of salaries and allowances totalling N22 million deliberately set out to subvert the anti-corruption policy of the Buhari administration,” Falana said.
He argued that through such demonstration of official impunity, the officials involved have exposed the country to ridicule before the comity of nations.
Falana described the payment of N22 million to Maina as “the height of insensitivity to pay arrears of salaries to a fugitive at a time when hundreds of thousands of workers and pensioners are owed arrears of their legitimate emoluments”.
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