There are beginning to be calls for the removal of Dr Betta Edu as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation for directing the payment of the sum of N585.189 million grant meant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun and Lagos States into a private account.

The calls are coming even as the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said yesterday that “appropriate action will be taken after the ongoing investigation” into the matter.

In a chat with one of our reporters yesterday, Onanuga stated: “The matter is under investigation. Appropriate Action will be taken thereafter.”

This is just as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it had no information relating to the issue.

Leaders of some civil society organisations (CSOs) and activists, who spoke to Daily Trust on Sunday, asked the president not to condone impunity, demanding that Edu be removed as minister and made to face interrogation by anti-corruption agencies.

In a viral document signed by her and directed to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Edu directed the disbursement of N585.189 million into one Bridget Mojisola Oniyelu’s private account.

The leaked document revealed that the money was paid into Oniyelu’s account.

The minister had, in a statement on Friday by her Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Rasheed Zubair, said the payment followed due process.

Zubair had explained that the money was paid into Oniyelu’s account because she currently serves as the project accountant of Grants for Vulnerable Groups, and that it is legal in civil service for a staff, the project accountant, to be paid and use same funds legally and retire same with all receipts and evidence after the project or programme is completed.

Meanwhile, Edu’s immediate predecessor, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, is being probed by the EFCC for allegedly laundering N37.1 billion during her tenure through a contractor, James Okwete.

‘Edu must face probe panel’

The Executive Director of the Human Rights Monitoring Agenda (HURMA) Global Resource Initiative, Buna Olaitan Isiak, urged Tinubu “to set up a panel to probe the matter so as to set precedence for future culprits.”

“Payment of humongous public funds into a private account is purely corruption no matter the merit of her (Edu’s) defence. This is a violation of all the anti-corruption laws of Nigeria.

“The development is an opportunity to test the sincerity of President Tinubu on his willingness and determination to fight corruption and the readiness of his government to depart from the past ways of doing things.

“By now, Betta should be a guest of relevant anti-corruption agencies to answer questions about how our funds escaped to a private account. It is not too late to act,” he said.

In the same vein, the national chairman of the Activists for Good Governance, Declan Ihekaire, said the president must query the minister and take action against her if she is found wanting to serve as a warning to other government officials.

“If the law prohibits a certain amount of money to be paid into an individual account, the law must be followed. We must not get to the level in this country where certain individuals would do things because they’re in power. It’ll lead to a situation where you have impunity and where people will not have regard for the constitution and laws of the country.

“If I’m to be in charge, she should be queried. We must avoid a situation where people in power will do things and get away with it,” he said.

Executive Director, Investigation, Network Against Corruption and Trafficking (NACAT),Tega Oghenedoro, described Edu’s act as a “face of youthful mis-governance” and urged President Tinubu to sack her and hand her over to anti-graft agencies.

“It’s sad that a lady of 37 years appointed into such office, who should be leading the debate on why youths should be considered for more high profile positions, has made herself a willing tool into a bad name on why youths and women should not even be president of Nigeria.

“The statement from the Accountant-General of the Federation clearly, stating that Betta’s action was wrong, is also more than enough to send her packing and hand her over to EFCC for investigation and prosecution,” he said.

A Nigerian professor based in the United States, Farooq Kperogi, in an essay he posted on his X handle yesterday, said President Tinubu would lose the moral right to fight corruption “if he does not fire Edu forthwith and bring her to justice.”

He cited Section 713 of the Nigeria’s Public Sector Financial Regulation Act which stipulates that public money should not, under any circumstance, be paid into private bank accounts and that any officer who pays public money into a private bank account is deemed to have done so with fraudulent intentions.

Kperogi stated: “Unfortunately, some of the crimes Muhammadu Buhari’s people committed in his eight-year reign are reappearing now.”

Kperogi decried that Edu was treading the same path of her predecessor, Sadiya Umar Farouq.

“This is a momentous moment for Tinubu. If he does not fire Edu forthwith and bring her to justice, he has already lost the moral high ground to try Muhammadu Buhari’s corrupt honchos.”

Tinubu cautioned against condoning impunity

A civil society activist, Wale Okunniyi, in a chat with Daily Trust on Sunday alleged that the scandal was a pointer to the impunity in Tinubu government.

Okunniyi, who is the spokesperson of the National Consultative Front and coordinator of the United Action Front of Civil Society, claimed that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs “is fast becoming a conduit pipe for corrupt politicians to fester their nests.”

He said: “Betta Edu’s act has clearly shown what is obtained in this government and it’s the consolidation of corruption of the previous government. Whether she’s sacked or not, if we must overcome such impunity and such corrupt practices, the Nigerian people must rise and demand for a change of constitution.

“The government officials seem to be outdoing one another in amassing wealth, nothing would be done to her. So, the ministry is becoming a cash cow for corrupt government officials. That office is created to fester the corrupt nest of government officials.”

The Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Head of Transparency International in Nigeria, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, said called for thorough investigation of the ministry “and other governmental agencies where a lot of public money has been diverted into personal accounts in the name of project accounts.”

“It’s absolutely necessary that we do not politicize this huge breach of our financial regulations as well as the public procurement law. There must be proper standardization on how public officials will be taking public funds in the name of project activities.

“It’s important that the National Assembly Public Account Committee gets to be more committed and more serious about carrying out their oversight. The Public Account Committee in the National Assembly should be able to look into this kind of situation.

“The Auditor-General should also look at this in his audit report. Beyond that, I think the EFCC and the Central Bank of Nigeria should ensure that public institutions do not continue to carry public funds to private or commercial banks,” he said.

Executive Director, Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), Zikirullahi Ibrahim, said while his organisation awaits a response from the Presidency, it finds Edu’s defence as laughable and suspicious.

“It’s concerning that whenever corrupt political office holders are removed from their positions due to public outcry, they are replaced by bigger and more notorious thieves, solely for the sake of patronage,” Ibrahim said.

National Coordinator, Good Governance Team, Tunde Salman, said anti-corruption agencies should do the needful without waiting for any presidential fiat since Edu “has no ministerial immunity”.

We ignored Edu’s request-AGF

The Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, has said that her office does not make any payments on behalf of ministries, departments and agencies of government.

Madein, in a statement yesterday by Bawa Mokwa, Director Press, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), said she did not carry out Edu’s request to transfer the fund into a private account.

She emphasized that no bulk payment “is supposed to be made to an individual’s account in the name of Project Accountant”.

She said beneficiaries of projects should be paid through their verified bank accounts.

“Allocations are released to self-accounting MDAs in line with the budget and such MDAs are responsible for the implementation of their projects and payments for such projects.

“The AGF explained that although her office received the said request from the Ministry, it did not carry out the payment.

“The ministry was, however, advised on the appropriate steps to take in making such payments in line with the established payment procedure.” The statement read in part.

Madein said she was determined to uphold the principles of accountability and transparency in the management of public finances.

She said MDAs should always ensure that the requisite steps are followed in carrying out financial transactions.

Allegation attempt to undermine my efforts to uplift the needy–Edu

Edu, in a statement she posted on her Facebook page yesterday, described the allegation as baseless, saying it was an attempt by some forces to undermine her ministry’s efforts to fight corruption and uplift the needy.

“I am writing to address recent news circulating about alleged fraud within the Ministry of Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation.

“As the minister, I want to assure you that these claims are baseless and an attempt to undermine the efforts we are making to fight corruption and uplift those in need.

“In the course of our work, we have encountered resistance from forces whose hands may not be clean, but I want to emphasize that our commitment to transparency, accountability, and eradicating corruption remains unwavering.

“The challenges we face only strengthen our resolve to serve with integrity and dedication.

“I believe in the power of truth prevailing, and with God as my strength, I am confident that our collective efforts will continue to make a positive impact on the lives of the less privileged. Your trust and support are invaluable as we navigate through these unfounded allegations,” she stated.

I’m not in possession of information – EFCC spokesman

When contacted last night, the spokesman of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, told one of our correspondents that he was not in possession of information regarding the allegation against the minister.

He promised to find out from a relevant department of the anti-graft agency and get back to our reporter, but he did not do so as of the tile of filing this report. (Daily Trust)

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