After days of sizzling outrage against the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, over a messy disbursement scandal, President Bola Tinubu announced the first suspension of a member of his 48-man cabinet on Monday, removing the 37-year-old from office with immediate effect.
In a statement on Monday afternoon, presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, said his principal ordered the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, “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 thereunder”.
Controversy had enveloped Edu’s alleged involvement in the approval of N585,198,500.00 to be disbursed into a personal account.
In a letter allegedly signed by the humanitarian minister, she instructed the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer the sum to the account of one Oniyelu Bridget as grants for vulnerable groups in four states.
However, Madein confirmed that although her office received a request from the humanitarian ministry to make certain payments, her office did not act on it.
Edu subsequently said there were plans to tarnish her image, adding that she won’t embezzle government funds.
Incidentally, the EFCC is presently probing Edu’s predecessor, Sadiya Farouq, over alleged laundering of N37.1 billion during her tenure as a minister under the administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.