President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, following allegations of fraud against her.
Recall that Betta Edu has been accused of corruptly approving the transfer of N585.2 million of public funds into a private bank account.
A 20 December 2023 memo showed that she requested the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer the money into the account of an official in her ministry, in contravention of Nigeria’s Financial Regulations 2009.
The money was transferred from the National Social Investment office account and was to be disbursed to vulnerable persons in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos, and Ogun states.
With raging controversies over the propriety or otherwise of the Minister’s action, the Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, released a statement today which 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 to conclusively reform 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.
These directives of the President take immediate effect.
Fraud allegation: Tinubu suspends Humanitarian Minister, Edu
