President Bola Tinubu suspended Dr. Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, from her position by effective immediately.
Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu’s media aide, said in a statement on Monday that the suspension was consistent with his declared intention to maintain the greatest standards of honesty, openness, and responsibility in the administration of the Nigerian commonwealth.
The President also gives the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) full authority to look into every facet of the financial transactions involving the Federal Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Humanitarian Affairs and one or more of its agencies.
The statement read, “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 will take with immediate effect, it said.