NBA Branch Chair under Fire over Award to Ex-Pension Boss 

.Maina: I was persecuted for refusing to share 5 per cent whistleblower fees

.Claims PRTT recovered $1.3trn for previous administration

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The Chairman of the Garki Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Anthony Bamidele Ojo, has come under fire for conferring an award on former pension reform chairman, Abdulrasheed Maina, convicted for money laundering in 2019.

Ojo, had on Thursday handed an award to Maina “in recognition of his “dedication to public service, courage and perseverance in the face of adversity,” as well as his commitment to the rule of law, due process and justice institutions.

The Garki NBA boss said, Maina was honoured for exemplifying service guided by law and courage anchored in justice, adding that he “went through a lot in the hands of those bent on destroying the work he was called to do.

“We are honouring him for his efforts concerning pension reforms and all he has done and continues to do in the development of the country,” the NBA chairman said.

However, the action of Ojo has come under severe knocks by some members of the branch and the national body of the NBA.

In a statement issued yesterday, the NBA said it viewed with disdain the purported appointment of Maina, “who was convicted for stealing over N2 billion in pension funds, as ‘Grand Patron of NBA Garki Branch’ by the Chairman of NBA Garki Branch, Anthony Bamidele Ojo.”

According to the NBA, the purported appointment not only paints the legal profession and the NBA in a bad light but also makes a mockery of the government’s fight against corruption, as well as the association’s motto of promoting the rule of law.

NBA’s National President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, who signed the statement faulted the branch chairman for commenting on Maina’s appeal, currently pending at the Supreme Court.

“While the NBA respects Mr. Maina’s right to exhaust his right to appeal against the conviction, the Bar will not under any guise comment on such an appeal or be seen to try to sway public opinion in his favour,” he said.

“These actions portray the Chairman of NBA Garki and, indeed, any person who endorsed his putrid actions as condoning corrupt practices. The Bar fails in her duties to the society and the cause of justice when it condones, encourages, and or fails to take definite actions to eliminate corruption and corrupt practices.

“The Association will not, under any guise, lend its platform, name, or institutional credibility to influence public opinion or judicial proceedings in respect of cases that are sub judice or take steps that may be perceived as laundering the image of any person convicted of criminal offences.

“Any attempt to do so constitutes a grave violation of professional ethics and a direct affront to the rule of law,” he added.

The statement accordingly directed the NBA branch chairman to immediately withdraw any purported appointment of Maina as a Patron of the Branch and to forthwith cease and desist from issuing statements, comments, or representations on behalf of, or in support of Maina or any other litigant in respect of cases pending in court.

While viewing the conduct as a serious breach of professional responsibility and institutional discipline, Osigwe disclosed that disciplinary proceedings will be commenced against the Chairman of the NBA Garki Branch for actions inconsistent with the Constitution of the NBA, the Rules of Professional Conduct, and the core values of the legal profession.

Meanwhile, shortly after receiving the NBA’s award, Maina, who expressed gratitude to the NBA for the recognition, explained that he was persecuted for refusing to share the five per cent whistleblower fee agreed with the then government of late President Muhammadu Buhari government, for the recovery of $1.3 trillion, stolen by public officials.

“I receive this honour with humility, but I must speak plainly. This is not a celebration for me at all. It is a testimony of endurance and of what can happen when you insist that the law must be stronger than power,” he said.

“In 2017, I was invited to meet senior Nigerian government officials in Abu Dhabi, including the Attorney General at the time, Abubakar Malami. I was asked to return and help Nigeria recover stolen public funds. I returned. We signed the whistleblower agreement. Working under that agreement, I helped recover $1.3 trillion for the Nigerian people and secured additional assets valued at $88 billion. The terms were clear. I was entitled to five per cent of the recovered $1.3 trillion—$65 billion—but to this day it has not been paid,” he added.

He alleged that instead of being paid, he was asked to share the fee, which he refused, adding that from that moment his family began to face threats.

“I started asking simple questions about 227 recovered properties placed in government custody. Where are they today? Who is managing them? What has Nigeria gained from those properties? Instead of answers, I faced threats,” he said.

The ex-PRTT boss explained further that following his refusal to give into the demands of some highly placed individuals his son was drawn into the matter.

He stated that his main concern however is to know how the funds and assets he recovered were managed.

“How was the $1.3 trillion accounted for and applied? Where are the 227 properties? Who is responsible for them? Why was a signed agreement dishonoured? I have filed petitions and I welcome an independent review. The records exist,” he said.

He also denied ever being a signatory to any account linked to pension funds, adding that all relevant banking records had been submitted to the appropriate authorities.

“We never had any account in the name of ‘Pension Reform tax team’. It has never existed. All the banks are there and you can approach them. I have given the NBA my petition, the banks’ signatures and the signature cards,” he said.

Commenting on the prosecution of Malami, Maina said the current government was right to pursue accountability.

“What government has seen so far may only be a fraction. My speciality is the recovery of public funds. We can recover more. There must be accountability, transparency and the rule of law.

“Malami should be properly prosecuted and investigated again, because he has not been properly investigated,” Maina said.

He added that he is ready and willing to help the President Bola Tinubu administration recover looted funds from corrupt public officials.

While disclosing that he has filed multiple petitions to prove his innocence as well as seek the prosecution of all those involved in the stealing of N2 billion pension funds, Maina expressed readiness for an independent review of his claims, insisting that official records exist.

“Even after all this, I remain ready to assist Nigeria wherever I can lawfully and transparently,” he said.