Former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to give him an opportunity to prove his innocence. The embattled ex-Pension boss alleged that Buhari is being deceived by the people who surround him.
Speaking to Channels TV on Monday, Maina said: “Thank God our President stands for the truth, the unfortunate thing is that some people around him whom he has given trust are lying to him; this one I can attest to and I can give you instances, I can give you documentary evidence.
"I’m appealing to you Mr President, there are so many things people are not telling you; when I get to that public hearing I will tell you some things that nobody ever told you Mr President because I never had the opportunity to sit down with you.”
Maina who denied any involvement in pension fraud, however, said his team recovered about N282billion cash for the government and that his life was in danger. "I recovered money for the last administration and I recovered money for this administration.
Most people may not understand this but let me explain this to Nigerians because I want the truth to be told and I want Nigerians to understand the truth and know what is going on in Nigeria.
"Listen, I am not afraid of anybody, I am saying the truth.
People portray themselves as if they are saints around the President; it’s a lie, they are not. We recovered as a team, N282billion cash. Aside from the N282bn, we were able to bring information and caught 43 pension suspects.
"They have threatened me, they have threatened my lawyer, they have threatened my brother, sister; they have threatened us all that I will be killed,” he said.