President Bola Tinubu, on Monday, promptly suspended Dr. Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, in response to the uproar surrounding an alleged ₦585 million scandal. The decision aligns with Tinubu’s commitment to upholding integrity, transparency, and accountability in the administration of Nigerian resources, as announced by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.
The suspension follows Tinubu’s directive on Sunday for a thorough investigation into the alleged financial irregularities within the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. The President had expressed his determination to decisively penalize individuals found culpable during the inquiry.
Various groups and individuals, including the Peoples Democratic Party, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, Femi Falana, SAN, the Yoruba Youth Assembly, and other civil society groups, had called for an unbiased investigation into the leaked memo by Minister Betta Edu. The memo reportedly instructed the Accountant-General of the Federation, Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer ₦585 million into the private bank account of a project accountant in the ministry, Bridget Oniyelu.
Despite Edu’s claim that the funds were intended for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states, the allegations against her were dismissed as baseless. Her Media Assistant, Rasheed Olarenwaju, asserted that such payments into private accounts of staff members, particularly project accountants, were within the legal framework of the civil service.
As this story unfolds, further details will be provided.
