Former Head of Service of the Federation, Steve Oronsaye has alleged that there is a plan to silence him by some individuals who were negatively affected by the reforms he initiated while in service.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the former HoS said the plot to silence him was hatched in Kaduna in June and they see the current interrogation has an avenue to get their pound of flesh.
Oronsaye is currently under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged multi billion naira pension scam.
He traced his travails to the letter he wrote December 10, 2009, expressing concerns about pension administration for retired public servants.
That letter to former National Security Adviser (NSA) to late president Yar’Adua, Maj. Gen. Abdullahi Mukhtar, was the precursor to eventual reforms in the Civil Service payment system and the exposure of monumental corruption in the pension administration of the service.
Similarly, the then HoS also wrote to the then chair of the EFCC, Mrs. Farida Waziri, in a letter (reference HCSF/061/S.1/VI/54) dated November 8, 2010, stating: “It will be appreciated if the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) cause an investigation into the matter with a view to resolving all the issues and possibly prosecuting all those found culpable.”
The statement also explained the role Oronsanye played between May-July 2010, when his office embarked on biometric capturing of pensioners under the auspices of the OHCSF, in order to update the records for efficient and prompt payment of pension entitlements. This led to the setting up of a Pension Task Team (PTT) under the chairmanship of Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, then Head of the Customs, Immigration and Prisons Pension Office (CIPPO).