President Bola Tinubu has suspended the embattled Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, from office with immediate effect.
A statement today, January 8, by Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale said that the suspended Minister has been directed to hand over to the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry.
News has been trending over the alleged directive by Minister Betta Edu, for the payment of the Poverty Alleviation fund, amounting to N585 million into a private account of a civil servant in the ministry.
The Presidential statement said that the minister was also directed to fully cooperate with the investigating authorities as they conduct their investigation.
The President, who directed the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to conduct a thorough investigation into all aspects of the financial transactions involving the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, asked that one or more agencies under the ministry should be critically looked into.
“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.
President Tinubu avowed to continue to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in the management of the commonwealth of Nigerians.
