Betta Edu is a politician from Nigeria who was born on October 27, 1986. She was the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation before her suspension following allegations that she transferred over 585 million naira (about £500,000 or $640,000) from the government into a personal bank account. She held the position of All Progressive Congress’s national women’s leader. Prior to her resignation in 2022, she served as the Cross River State Commissioner for Health. In addition, she served as the Nigeria Health Commissioners Forum’s National Chairman.
Background And Education
Betta is from the Cross River State local government area of Abi. She graduated from Federal Government Girls College in Calabar in 2001 after completing her secondary school there, and in 2009, she earned her first degree in medicine and surgery from the University of Calabar.
She holds a doctorate in public health from Texila American University, a master’s degree in public health in developing countries from London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and a postgraduate diploma in public health for developing countries from the same institution.
Political Career
Career In 2015, Edu was named the youngest Special Adviser on Community and Primary Healthcare to Benedict Ayade, the Executive Governor of Cross River State.
She was elected to lead the Cross River State COVID-19 Taskforce in 2020. She was named National Chairman of the Nigeria Health Commissioners Forum in August of that same year.
Edu is a Fellow of both the African Institute of Public Health Professionals and the Royal School of Public Health.
In March 2022, Betta Edu was elected as the All Progressives Congress’s (APC) youngest national woman leader.
During the 2023 Nigerian general elections campaign, Betta, the APC’s national women leader, promised women that President Bola Tinubu will provide them with 35 percent affirmative action.
Betta Edu received a vote of confidence in July 2023 from the state Women Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in all 36 states of Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). When they visited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, they did this.
Additionally, in July 2023, Betta Edu received the Award of Excellence in Leadership for gender inclusion and women’s empowerment from the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Maryam Babangida National Center for Women Development, which is led by DG Asabe Vilita Bashir. The Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development collaborated with the center. This is a token of appreciation for her dedication to promoting the rights of women, children, and other marginalized groups in Nigeria.
As the Nigerian senate revealed its list of 28 candidates for ministerial appointments in July 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu proposed Betta Edu for the position. establishing her as Cross’s first female minister
Betta took office as minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation in August 2023
Controversies
Edu was charged with publishing fictitious ventilator photos in 2020. A vote of no confidence was passed against Edu by the Nigerian Medical Association’s Cross River state chapter due to allegations of professional misconduct related to the COVID-19 outbreak. The vote of no confidence, according to Edu, was political.
In 2022, Edu faced accusations of procedural misconduct during her campaign to become the APC’s National Women Leader.
Recently President Bola Ahmed Tinubu suspended her from her role as the minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation on January 8, 2024, due to a scandal involving an alleged ₦585 million. President Tinubu requested a comprehensive inquiry from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).