The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded that the troubled Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, be fired immediately and face charges related to alleged financial theft inside her ministry.
In response to several fraud accusations against the minister and her government, including the purported transfer of more than N585 million to a private account, the opposition political party made the demand in a statement released on Sunday.
According to SaharaReporters, Edu requested that public funds be transferred to Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola’s private account, a project manager designated by the minister, by way of Mrs. Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein, the Accountant General of the Federation.
The Minister had given his approval for N585,198,500.00 to be deposited into a private account.
Gistlover also revealed on Sunday that, despite Kogi State’s lack of an airport, her ministry had approved funding for her teams’ airfares and airport taxis from Abuja.
Additionally, according to SaharaReporters, President Bola Tinubu has commanded an inquiry into the Minister’s purportedly fraudulent actions.
However, PDP stated in the statement that the theft discovered in the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Humanitarian Affairs
“is just a tip of the iceberg of the unprecedented treasury looting, unbridled stealing and plundering of resources going on in the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration which has practically brought the nation’s economy to its knees.”
The opposition party asked, “Is it not tragic and heartbreaking that a Minister entrusted with public funds to support millions of poor Nigerians who have been impoverished by the APC, turned around to divert hundreds of millions of naira meant for the wellbeing of the poor?”
It said, “The continuing stay of Betta Edu as Minister is therefore provocative and amounts to stealing from the people and daring them to do their worst. It further confirms our Party’s position that the Tinubu-led APC government is a cesspit of corruption; a haven for thieves and treasury looters.
“Nigerians were shocked by reports of how Betta Edu and the suspended National Coordinator of NSIPA, Halima Shehu allegedly engaged in brazen looting of billions of Naira while Nigerians who the funds are meant for are deprived and abandoned to excruciating hardship and misery.
“Equally disheartening is the reports of how Betta Edu allegedly directed the transfer of the N585.2 million NSIPA money into the private account of one of her fronts in clear violation of Chapter 7, Section 713 of Nigeria’s Financial Regulations, 2009 which expressly prohibits the payment of public money into a private account.”
The party noted that Section 713 of Nigeria’s Financial Regulations, 2009 provides that “personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private bank account. An officer who pays public money into a private account is deemed to have done so with a fraudulent intention”.
The opposition party further said, “The apparent fraudulent intention by Betta Edu in diverting public funds into a private account; an action which was appropriately declared illegal by the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, is consistent with APC’s character and proclivity for plundering of public resources.
“The lack of remorse by the Minister especially in her lame attempt to justify the illegal diversion of funds meant for poor Nigerians is also consistent with the insensitivity, heartlessness, impunity and criminal audacity inherent in the APC administration.
“A very disturbing information in the public domain indicates that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs is allegedly working with two prominent APC officials in the Presidency and the National Assembly, who are alleged to be using Ministers and other officials of government to divert billions of naira to personal accounts.
“Additional information reveals that there are moves to use the suspended National Coordinator of NSIPA, Halima Shehu as a scapegoat so as to sweep the involvement of the Minister and the said APC leaders under the carpet.
“What Nigerians demand of President Tinubu at the moment is to demonstrate commitment to the fight against corruption by immediately sacking Betta Edu, hand her over for investigation, prosecution and take steps to recover the stolen N44 billion and channel the fund recovered towards the wellbeing of Nigerians.”
