A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, has stated that former Chairman of the defunct Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina, has dented the image of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Agbakoba called on Buhari to tell Nigerians the role he played in the reinstatement of Maina.
He said the outcome of controversial reinstatement of Maina had dented the image of President Buhari and called for a panel to investigate all issues raised.
The former pension boss had in a recent interview, said Buhari gave a nod for the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to meet him.
But the senior lawyer, while speaking, urged the President to break his silence on the issue.
He said , “Only the President can break this conundrum ; otherwise, my personal belief is that right inside Aso Rock, there is some protection. If not, how can a man go in and out of Nigeria with the ease ? How can Maina make allusion to the President asking him to meet with the AGF?
“In fact , what has happened is that the President’s image has been dented. Maina has dented the President’s image by alluding to the fact that the President had contact with him and instructed the AGF to make a deal with him.
“What I expect is for the President to immediately clear the air on what is going on.”
He said, “The whole thing is a mess and it is difficult to know who to believe. It has, in my view, created the biggest dent in the President ’s anti- corruption crusade because we have all the agencies quarrelling. We have the Attorney-General of the Federation quarrelling with the Head of Service, and so on.
“It sounds so ridiculously unbelievable and I think the President will be doing himself a big favour to break his silence, particularly as Maina said the President approved the meeting.”
