President Bola Tinubu has suspended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu.
He also directed the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. 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”.
A statement by his spokesman, Chief Ajuri Ngelale stated that the decision was “in line with his (the President’s) avowed commitment to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in the management of the commonwealth of Nigerians”.
Her suspension is with immediate effect.
Edu has been in the eye of the storm since last week when a N585 million disbursement scandal broke in her ministry.
On Sunday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mallam Mohammed Idris said that President Tinubu directed that a “thorough and comprehensive investigation be conducted to ascertain the accuracy and validity of the reported details”.
According to Ngelale, “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.
“Furthermore, the President has 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.
“These directives of the President take immediate effect”.
