President Bola Tinubu took decisive action on Monday by suspending the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Betta Edu, in response to mounting public outrage over an alleged N585 million scandal. The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, conveyed this decision through a statement to the press.
The statement highlighted President Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in the management of Nigeria’s resources. “In line with his avowed commitment to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in the management of the commonwealth of Nigerians, President Bola Tinubu suspends the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, from office with immediate effect,” read the official statement.
President Tinubu also directed a thorough investigation into the alleged N585 million scandal within the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. He explicitly stated his determination to mete out decisive punishment to anyone found responsible for breaches and infractions uncovered during the investigations.
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 organizations, had called for an impartial probe into a leaked memo attributed to Minister Betta Edu. The memo allegedly instructed the Accountant-General of the Federation, Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer N585 million into the private bank account of a project accountant in the ministry, Bridget Oniyelu.
Despite the minister’s defense, asserting that the payment was intended for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states, critics deemed the allegations against her as baseless. The Media Assistant to the Minister, Rasheed Olarenwaju, argued in a statement that such payments into private accounts of staff members, especially project accountants, were legally permissible within the civil service.
