January 14, (THEWILL) – In line with his avowed commitment to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency and accountability in the management of the commonwealth of Nigerians, President Bola Tinubu last Monday suspended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, from office with immediate effect.
The President further directed the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to conduct a thorough investigation into all aspects of the financial transactions involving the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, as well as one or more agencies there under.
The President, through his spokesman, ordered the suspended minister to hand over to the Permanent Secretary in the ministry and to fully cooperate with the investigating authority.
Furthermore, the President charged a panel headed by the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance to, among other functions, conduct a comprehensive diagnostic on the financial architecture and framework of the social investment programmes, with a view to conclusively reforming the relevant institutions and programmes in a determined bid to eliminate all institutional frailties for the exclusive benefit of disadvantaged households and win back lost public confidence in the initiative.
THEWIL recalls that the action of the President followed an allegation that Edu recently directed the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to pay a whopping sum of N585.18 million to a private account owned by one Oniyelu Bridget.
The ministry claimed Bridget currently served as the Project Accountant, Grants for Vulnerable Groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos and Ogun states.
But the Accountant-General of the Federation, Dr Oluwatoyin Madein, rejected Edu’s directive and refused to pay the said sum of N585.18 million to the agent of the minister.
It was gathered that in addition to this infraction of extant public financial rules, the minister was also said to have approved air tickets for trips to Kogi State, including airport taxi, even as the state had no known or functional airport, an allegation that has since been exposed with the approval memo now flying about on the social media.
It was as a result of this that the President appointed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to head a panel to investigate the alleged fraud in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
This action of the President attracted commendations from eminent Nigerians, including the Coalition of United Peoples Party (CUPP), the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi.
They applauded President Tinubu for the suspension of Edu and the probe of the activities of the ministry.
CUPP’s National Secretary, Chief Peter Ameh, urged President Tinubu to go beyond Edu and fish out anyone that is connected to or who partook in the stealing of the collective patrimony of Nigerians.
CUPP warned that any attempt to use political consideration to sweep this monumental corruption under the carpet will be resisted by the Nigerian people.
It thereby called on the Federal Government to rethink the role and mandate of the humanitarian ministry and save the nation from this embarrassment.
The CUPP noted, “It is our belief that the suspended minister could not have carried out that heist without the urging of a stronger and perhaps high-ranking member or members of the present government.
“The whole issue surrounding the palliative and the larger humanitarian affairs ministry has become a sore thumb in his government and the previous one.
“The former minister, Sadia Umar, is still under probe for embezzling close to N40 billion before the present minister was fingered for her ignoble role in the transfer of N585 million to a private back account.
“CUPP does not really believe in giving people fish to eat, which the ministry stands for, but in teaching people how to fish and become self-sustaining.
“CUPP imagines what a budget of over N500 billion would provide in the areas of cottage industries with the attendant employment it will generate or farm settlements that will spring up.”
Commenting on the development, many Nigerians have hailed President Tinubu for his response to the scandal. They also called for an impartial probe into the allegations, which they noted was the essence of the suspension of the official.
Atiku Abubakar also commended Tinubu for suspending the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
In a statement released through Phrank Shaibu, his special assistant on public communication, Atiku acknowledged the suspension as a positive step. However, he deemed it insufficient to address the more significant issues.
“While Tinubu deserves commendation for suspending Edu, we believe this is a belated move,” the statement said.
In his statement, Atiku expressed that while Tinubu’s decision to suspend Edu was commendable, it should be considered a belated move.
Atiku argued that Edu’s appointment to such a sensitive ministry resulted from prioritising politics over competence.
He questioned Edu’s qualifications, compared to other experienced candidates, particularly Imaan Ibrahim, who was overlooked for the role.
“What experience did Betta Edu have in the development sector? How was Imaan Ibrahim, with her wealth of experience, overlooked? How did the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, stand as Edu’s referee during her clearance at the Senate?” Atiku questioned.
Furthermore, Atiku emphasised the need for broader reforms within the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and other interventionist programmes that have seemingly become channels for misuse of public funds.
He stressed that Edu should not be the sole focus and called for a thorough investigation into others who might have unjustly benefited from funds allocated for the well-being of impoverished Nigerians.
Atiku raised concerns about systemic corruption within the ministry and questioned the transparency of programmes, citing examples such as the alleged continuation of the school feeding programme during the COVID-19 lockdown.
He called for immediate and urgent actions to address these issues, asserting that the ongoing probe into former Minister Sadiya Umar Farouq’s N37 billion fraud indicates the need for comprehensive reform.
Reacting via his X handle, D. H Bwala, a spokesperson for the presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the February 2023 election, said, “Again @officialABAT is showing that when there is a credible substance in an allegation he will act in the public interest. He has suspended the beauty pageant minister. Give it to him.”
Aliyyu Abubakar similarly praised President Tinubu’s decision, saying, “BAT is the best leader Nigeria needs at this critical time.”
Former Spokesperson for then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Laolu Akande, expressed surprise over the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs’ admission of making the transfer of the money into a private account.
“I was surprised when I saw the ministry’s statement saying it transferred money into a private account. It is an infraction of financial regulations,” he said.
He said many government officials had gone with impunity for so long. He stated that the transaction was a departure from the financial regulations guiding the conduct of public officers.
The Labour Party flagbearer in the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi, on Wednesday commended President Tinubu for suspending the minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation over the N585 million scandals.
Peter Obi told Tinubu what to do to others involved in the scandal In a series of tweets posted on his X page (formerly Twitter), the former governor of Anambra state opined that suspending Edu was not enough, rather a full-blown investigation should be launched into the alleged financial misconduct.
Obi again expressed interest in the fight against corruption in Nigeria. He urged President Tinubu to ensure that “the investigation must be comprehensive so that all those guilty are brought to book.
Obi tweeted: “I like to add my voice with most Nigerians concerned about accountability in government and judicious use of public funds. I welcome the suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Ms Betta Edu and subsequent directives for her investigation. While the action of the government i a welcome development, the investigation must be comprehensive so that all those culpable are brought to book.”
About the Author
AYO ESAN, has been actively reporting and analyzing political events for different newspapers for over 18 years. He has also successfully covered national and state elections in Nigeria since the inception of this democracy in 1999.
