NBA Disowns Maina’s Patronage and Launches Disciplinary Probe

The national leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has moved swiftly to douse a brewing firestorm, officially rejecting the controversial appointment of convicted former pension chief Abdulrasheed Maina as a “patron” of its Garki branch. In a scathing rebuke issued on Friday, the association’s national body described the move as a “reprehensible mockery” of the legal profession and the nation’s anti-corruption crusade. The decision comes less than twenty-four hours after Maina, a man synonymous with one of the largest pension heists in Nigerian history, was decorated with a “Rule of Law and Courage” award by the branch officials.

Public outrage ignited on Thursday when images surfaced of Maina at a high-profile event on Jimmy Carter Street in Asokoro, Abuja. Wearing a ceremonial muffler that explicitly labeled him a patron of the NBA Garki branch, the disgraced former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms appeared to be undergoing a public image makeover. For many Nigerians, the sight was a bitter pill to swallow, given Maina’s 2021 conviction for laundering over ₦2 billion—funds intended for elderly pensioners, many of whom died in penury while the legal battle raged.

NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, made it clear that the national body was never consulted and does not recognize the appointment. In a sternly worded statement, Osigwe singled out the Garki branch chairman, Anthony Bamidele Ojo, for leading an initiative that he claims has brought the entire legal community into disrepute. The NBA has now officially triggered disciplinary proceedings against the branch leadership, citing a catastrophic lapse in judgment that undermines the very “rule of law” the award claimed to celebrate.

The association has issued a series of immediate directives to the embattled branch chairman. These include the immediate withdrawal of Maina’s patron status and a total ban on any further statements or actions that could be interpreted as the Bar defending a convicted criminal. The NBA’s stance is rooted in the principle that the platform of the Bar must never be used to launder the reputations of those who have been found guilty of violating the public trust, especially in cases involving the life savings of vulnerable citizens.

Maina’s resurgence at the NBA event was as defiant as it was unexpected. During the ceremony, he used the podium to launch a verbal assault on former Attorney General Abubakar Malami, calling for fresh investigations into the former minister’s conduct. Maina, who was quietly released from the Kuje Correctional Centre in early 2025 after his sentence was backdated to his 2019 arrest, claimed he was a “victim” of the previous administration. Despite the court findings, he continued to deny any wrongdoing, portraying himself as a reformist who was sabotaged by “powerful forces.”

However, the judicial record tells a much darker story. Maina’s trial exposed a sophisticated web of corruption where fictitious bank accounts and proxy companies were used to siphon billions. In a rare and dramatic twist, Maina’s own siblings took the witness stand to testify against him, detailing how their personal information was hijacked to facilitate the fraud. This betrayal of both the state and his family formed the basis of Justice Okon Abang’s 2021 ruling, which described Maina’s actions as “morbid and heartless.”

The fallout from the “Patron Maina” saga has also renewed focus on the assets recovered from the former pension boss. By 2024, the federal government had successfully secured the final forfeiture of 23 high-value properties traced to the convict. These assets, ranging from luxury homes to commercial complexes, serve as permanent monuments to the scale of the financial crime. The NBA argues that celebrating a man whose properties were confiscated for corruption is an insult to the judiciary that ordered those seizures.

Beyond the personal conduct of Maina, the NBA is looking inward to address the institutional rot that allowed a branch to honor a convict. The association’s leadership emphasized that integrity and discipline are the pillars of the legal profession. By disciplining the Garki branch officials, the NBA hopes to send a clear message: the Bar will not be used as a political or social laundry service for individuals with tainted records.

As the disciplinary committee begins its work, the incident has highlighted a deep rift between the national leadership and some of its local branches regarding the vetting of honorary titles. For the Nigerian public, the swift rejection by the national NBA is a necessary step, but many believe the damage to the brand of the “temple of justice” has already been done. The saga serves as a cautionary tale of how easily professional platforms can be manipulated by those seeking a shortcut back to public respectability.

The NBA has promised that firm action will be taken against any member whose conduct is found to have brought shame to the profession. For Abdulrasheed Maina, his attempt to use the legal community as a shield for his public rehabilitation appears to have backfired, resulting instead in a fresh wave of scrutiny over his past and his current standing in society.