On Monday, January 8, president Tinubu suspended Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, from office.
Edu’s suspension comes amid allegations of diverting funds from her ministry to a private bank account. Here’s all we know about the situation so far.
What happened?
On Friday, January 5, a leaked internal document surfaced online, revealing that Edu approved a payment of ₦585,189,500 into the bank account of an Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola. In the document addressed to the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Sekinat Maedin, Edu directed her (the Account General) to pay the money from the National Social Investment Office’s account.
Per the leaked memo, the money was earmarked for payment of grants for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos and Ogun States.
After the document surfaced on the internet, several Nigerians called for the minister to offer some explanations.
Edu responded to these allegations through a statement by her media aide, Rasheed Zubair.
“It is glaring that the same sponsored disgruntled elements in the past few days have been trying to smear the Honourable Minister, Dr Betta Edu, and stain her integrity because she alerted the Federal Government attention to the ongoing ₦44.8 billion fraud in NSIPA. These elements have been trying to link her to a phantom fraud and are behind this latest misadventure.”
Meanwhile, the Accountant-General distanced her office from Edu’s transaction, tagging her action as “illegal.”
Her director of press Bawa Maokwa said in a released statement: “The Ministry was advised on the appropriate steps to take in making such payments in line with the established payment procedure. No bulk payment is supposed to be made to an individual’s account in the name of the Project Accountant.”
Betta Edu suspended
On Monday, January 8, Edu was suspended by the president in the wake of the growing outrage against the ₦585 million scandal.
Ajuri Ngelale, special adviser on media and publicity to the president disclosed this in a statement to pressmen.
“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 statement read.
President Tinubu also ordered an investigation into Edu’s ministry by the executive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“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.
Edu’s suspension sparks fresh reactions
While the minister hasn’t made an official statement, her suspension has stirred a flurry of reactions from Nigerians on social media.
This is a developing story.
