MAINA TO SENATE: I'M IN COURT TO SEEK JUSTICE, NOT TO RIDICULE JONATHAN'S GOVT

The leadership of the Pension Reform Task Force Team (PRTT) said yesterday that, contrary to claims by the Vice Chairman of the senator Aloysius Etuk-led-Pension Probe Committee, Senator Kabiru Gaya (ANPP, Kano South) Maina's decision to drag the senate president, IGP and others to court over his perceived injustice, was an attempt to ridicule President Goodluck Jonathan's administration, it was a clear attempt to seek redress.

The Dr. Abdulrasheed Maina led- Pension Reform Task Team which reminded the senator that Nigeria is not anarchical, said it chose to go to the court of law, since it is the only hope of every helpless person like Dr. Maina. 'for this reason, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria confers on him as a right to sue and be sued.   No institution or person is too big before the court, or any person to be considered too little to institute a case in the Court against anyone.'

The team which also expressed satisfaction that Nigerians are not ignorant of the fact that Dr. Maina is being scandalised, dehumanized and severely persecuted for simply doing the right thing for the country, said, they have no regret seeking for redress from the court, after being denied justice through several ignored petitions addressed to the Senate President.

Speaking through its spokesman, Mallam Salihu Hassan, the task team  in a statement obtained by LEADERSHIP, harped that there is no reason for the Senate Pension Probe Committee to persecute the chairman of the Pension Task Force for exposing the pension thieves who were hitherto enveloped in a shroud of secrecy and silence for over 44 years.

The Task Team emphasised that while it boss highly respects the Senate and also humbly believes that the Senate Pension Probe Committee has the constitutional rights to investigate, it has to be with fairness to all Nigerians irrespective of their affiliations.

While expressing pride that Dr. Maina is a patriotic citizen that has gallantly spearheaded an immense  pension reform job and is achieving a very successful transformation drive of Mr. President; even at the risk of his life, that of his  household and the entire members of the Pension Reform Task Force Team, it further explained that its boss,  has never  refused to appear before the Senate Pension Probe Committee without legitimate reason.

The statement further reads , ' Pension Reform Task Team has received with nauseating feeling a media statement credited to the Vice Chairman of the Etuk Pension Probe Committee, Senator Kabiru Gaya (ANPP, Kano South) stating that the Pension Reform Boss, Dr. Abdulrasheed Maina was ridiculing Jonathan's Administration simply because he has gone to court to seek for redress. '

'The Pension task team would like to respectfully inform Distinguished Senator Gaya that there is no civilized place or country on earth where going to court translates to ridiculing anybody or institution. Going to court is a basic requirement of a polite and modern democratic society. The statement continued '

'Is this persecution coming on the heels of exposing pension thieves that have hitherto enveloped in a shroud of secrecy  Or is it for recovering and saving over 221 Billion Naira pension funds; or for preventing further stealing of pension funds of over 70 Billion Naira annually in just two pension offices? Or is it for cutting-off 73,000 fake pensioners, enrolment of over 50,000 genuine pensioners and payment of harmonized arrears for over 38,000 pensioners that he would be persecuted? The team queried'.