Ms. Beta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, has been suspended from office over her alleged scandalous management of public funds.
A statement on Monday issued by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinu on Media and Publicity, the minister’s suspension takes immediate effect.
Full text of the statement read:
“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 suspends the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, from office with immediate effect.
“The President further directs 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 thereunder.
“The suspended Minister is hereby directed to hand over to the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, and she is further directed by the President to fully cooperate with the investigating authorities as they conduct their investigation.
“Furthermore, the President has tasked a panel that is 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”.
President Tinubu had on Sunday ordered a thorough and comprehensive investigation to ascertain the accuracy and validity of the reports on the alleged payment of a sum of N585.2million by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Ms. Beta Edu into a private account.
Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation in a statement said the Federal Government is aware of the narratives circulating widely and wish to assure Nigerians that it takes the issues seriously.
“The Ministry of Information and National Orientation acknowledges the concerns raised by the public regarding the alleged payment of funds into a private account by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. We are aware of the narratives circulating widely and wish to assure Nigerians that the Government takes these issues most seriously.
“The Federal Government, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is transparent and accountable to the people, and committed to ensuring that public funds are allocated and utilized effectively and efficiently to address the needs of Nigerians.
“In light of recent events, the President has directed that a thorough and comprehensive investigation be conducted to ascertain the accuracy and validity of the reported details.
“The government is determined to unravel the truth as it relates to this matter, and assures that appropriate action will be taken to ensure that any breaches and infractions are identified and decisively punished, in line with the Administration’s commitment to public accountability and due process.
“The public is advised to note, against the backdrop of various unverified narratives circulating on the Internet, that the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, under the leadership of Minister Mohammed Idris, is the primary source for verified information about events and actions of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“Only accurate details will be shared with the public. The Ministry is committed to providing timely updates to keep Nigerians informed about the progress of the investigation.
“We urge Nigerians to exercise patience as the investigation unfolds. The government is focused on ensuring a fair and unbiased process, and the findings will be communicated duly and transparently to the public”, Idris said.
Betta Edu, had on Friday, admitted as genuine a 20 December 2023 memo which showed that she requested the Accountant General of the Federation, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer a sum of N585.2 million public fund into a private account of an official in her ministry in contravention to sections of Nigeria’s Financial Regulations 2009, which are meant to prevent fraud and other forms of corruption.
According to the minister’s memo, the fund in question was transferred from the National Social Investment Programme Agency account and is meant for disbursement to vulnerable people in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos, and Ogun states, under the federal government poverty intervention project called Grants for Vulnerable Groups.
Mrs Edu said in the memo that the official, Bridget Oniyelu, whose private account with the United Bank of Africa the N585.2 million was paid into, is the project accountant.
But the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, countered her over the payment of N585.2 million of government funds into a private bank account of an official.
Mrs. Madein, in a statement on Saturday, distanced her office from the illegal transaction by Ms. Edu and also dismissed the minister’s action as illegal.
She admitted that her office had received Ms. Edu’s request for the transfer of the N585.2 million to Ms. Oniyelu’s private account, but that she refused to honour it.
“The Ministry was advised on the appropriate steps to take in making such payments in line with the established payment procedure,” she said. “No bulk payment is supposed to be made to an individual’s account in the name of the Project Accountant”, the AGF said.
Recall that on January 3, President Tinubu suspended Mrs. Halima Shehu, the National Coordinator and chief executive of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), barely three months after her appointment was confirmed by the Senate on October 18, 2023.
According to reports, the President approved Shehu’s suspension with immediate effect and ordered her replacement over the alleged movement of N44 billion from the accounts of the NSIPA by some of the agency officials into private and corporate accounts.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reportedly frozen N30 billion belonging to the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), which was traced to some private accounts.
The N30 billion was said to be part of the N44 billion moved from the accounts of the NSIPA by some of the agency officials.
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