In the last 48 hours, the media has been awash with reports of an alleged N585 million corruption by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu.
Trouble started for Edu when a leaked memo dated December 20, 2023, to the Accountant General of the Federation requesting the disbursement of N585 million meant for Grants for Vulnerable Groups to a personal account surfaced online.
We highlight four things Nigerians should know about the scandal.
Edu didn’t deny paying N585m into a private account
Minister Betta Edu confirmed that she authorized payment of N585 million into a private account owned by one Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola.
In defence, the Minister claimed the payment followed due process.
According to her, she currently serves as the Project Accountant for Grants for Vulnerable Groups.
However, the action of the Minister was against Chapter 7, Section 713 of the Federal Government’s Financial Regulations 2009, which notes, ‘Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private account’.
AGF faults Edu on payment
The Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatosin Madein, faulted Edu’s payment of N585 million into a personal account.
In a statement on Saturday, Madein said her office did not honour the payment request by Edu.
She noted that the Minister’s actions were against financial regulations.
Tinubu orders probe, investigation
On Sunday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered a probe into the allegation and vowed to punish those found guilty.
SEPAP, Falana, Kperogi, Adeyanju call for Edu’s sack
Outrage and anger by Nigerians led to the call for persecution and the sack of the Betta Edu.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has threatened to sue President Bola Ahmed Tinubu if he fails to probe the alleged payment of N585,189,500.00 into a private account by Edu.
Human Rights Lawyer Femi Falana, on Sunday, urged the Minister to resign her position and stop insulting Nigerians sensibility.
“There can be no legal justification for the criminal diversion of the said sum of N585.18 million for disbursement to vulnerable people in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos and Ogun States since the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs has collated the individual bank accounts of all the vulnerable people”, he said in a statement.
Also, Farooq Kperogi, a Nigerian-American professor and renowned writer, has asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sack Edu over an alleged N585,198,500.00 corruption scandal.
On his part, Deji Adeyanju, a human rights activist, has said actions like Edu’s were the reason the military truncated Nigeria’s democracy.
Consequently, he called for the immediate sack of Edu.