The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, was absent at the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said this was because the minister was in Saudi Arabia.
Dambazzau is one of the top government officials who have been in the eye of the storm over the reinstatement and deployment of the former Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina.
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami and the
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita, who were also mentioned in the issue, attended the cabinet meeting yesterday.
Some Nigerians, including members of the Peoples Democratic Party, had called on Buhari to suspend Dambazzau and Malami over the matter.
The president had on Monday directed Maina’s immediate disengagement from service.
The Head of Service had since submitted a report to the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, as directed.
