President Bola Tinubu has suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, from office with immediate effect.
Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity) in a statement Monday said the decision is in line with President Tinubu’s commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in the management of the commonwealth of Nigerians.
According to the statement, the President further directs the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to thoroughly investigate 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 headed by the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance to, among other functions, conduct a comprehensive diagnostic of 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,” the statement added.
Betta Edu’s suspension comes days after she sent a memo to the Accountant General of the Federation authorizing the payment of over N585 million into the private account of one Bridget Mojisola Oniyelu for humanitarian purposes.
According to Nigeria’s financial regulations, an officer who pays public money into a private account is deemed to have done so with fraudulent intentions.
