- By Halimah Olamide
President Bola Tinubu on Monday bowed to pressure as he suspended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, from office with immediate effect.
The Government said the president’s action was in line with his commitment to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in the management of the commonwealth of Nigerians
In a statement released by Ajuri Ngelale, the President was reported as further directing 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 under the ministry.
“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,” the statement said
It furthermore said the President 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.”
NPO Reports that Edu has been caught in the web of a N585m alleged approval for payment into a private account.
The Minister, in her defence, had said that the owner of the account Bridget Oliyelu Mojisola, is the project account for the ministry’s project on vulnerable group.