President Bola Tinubu has ordered a thorough and comprehensive probe into the N585.18 million scandal that has rocked the ministry of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation.
The president gave the order in a statement issued by the minister of information and national orientation, Mr Mohammed Idris.
Recall that a leaked memo revealed that the minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation, Dr Betta Edu had in December, requested the accountant general of the federation, Mrs Oluwatoyin Madein to transfer N585.18 million from the national social investment office account to the UBA account of one Bridget Oniyelu, the accountant of a federal government poverty intervention project called grants for vulnerable groups (GVG).
The ministry had claimed that the N585.18 million payment was meant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states.
The ministry said Oniyelu currently serves as the project accountant, GVG for the aforementioned states.
However, Madein was said to have turned down the minister’s request to pay the money into a private account.
She stated that her office received the minister’s request as contained in a letter referenced FMHAPA/HQ/S.208 and dated December 20, 2023, but did not honour the request.
“The ministry was advised on the appropriate steps to take in making such payments in line with the established payment procedure.
“No bulk payment is supposed to be made to an individual’s account in the name of the project accountant,” Madein said in a statement.
She added that payments of such money “are usually processed by the affected ministries as self-accounting entities.”
However, the media aide to the minister, Mr Rasheed Olarenwaju, said in a statement that it is legal within the civil service rule for such payments to be made into private accounts of staff members, especially project accountants.
“Oniyelu Bridget is the project accountant for the GVG from the department of finance, and it is legal in civil service for a staffer, the project accountant, to be paid and use the same funds legally and retire the same with all receipts and evidence after the project or programme is completed,” he had said.
As the controversy continued, the president vowed to unravel the truth of the matter, saying any identified breaches would be punished decisively.
Addressing the concerns of the public on the matter, Idris said the president had directed that a thorough and comprehensive investigation be conducted to ascertain the accuracy and validity of the reported details.
In a statement entitled ‘Minister of information and national orientation addresses circulating narratives on payments made by the ministry of humanitarian affairs,” Idris said: “The ministry of information and national orientation acknowledges the concerns raised by the public regarding the alleged payment of funds into a private account by the ministry of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation.
“We are aware of the narratives circulating widely and wish to assure Nigerians that the government takes these issues most seriously.
“The federal government, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is transparent and accountable to the people, and committed to ensuring that public funds are allocated and utilised effectively and efficiently to address the needs of Nigerians.
“In light of recent events, the president has directed that a thorough and comprehensive investigation be conducted to ascertain the accuracy and validity of the reported details.
“The government is determined to unravel the truth as it relates to this matter and assures that appropriate action will be taken to ensure that any breaches and infractions are identified and decisively punished, in line with the administration’s commitment to public accountability and due process.
“The public is advised to note, against the backdrop of various unverified narratives circulating on the Internet, that my ministry is the primary source for verified information about events and actions of the Federal Government of Nigeria. Only accurate details will be shared with the public.
“The ministry is committed to providing timely updates to keep Nigerians informed about the progress of the investigation.”
The minister urged Nigerians to exercise patience as the investigation unfolds.
“The government is focused on ensuring a fair and unbiased process, and the findings will be communicated duly and transparently to the public,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reacted to the alleged fraud and called for the sack of the minister.
Spokesman for the party, Mr Debo Ologunagba, said in a statement that the exposed fraud in the ministry was just a tip of the iceberg regarding the unprecedented treasury looting, unbridled stealing and plundering of resources going on in the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration, which had brought Nigeria’s economy to its knees.
He called for the immediate sack and prosecution of Edu over the alleged looting of N44 billion National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) fund and the N585.2 million alleged to have been diverted by her to a private account.
“Is it not tragic and heart-breaking 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?
“The continuing stay of Beta Edu as minister is, therefore, provocative and amounts to stealing from a 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.”
Ologunagba said Nigerians were shocked by reports of how Edu and the suspended National Coordinator of NSIPA, Halima Shehu, allegedly engaged in brazen looting of billions of Naira, while Nigerians, who the funds were meant for, were 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.
“For emphasis, 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 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,” he said.
Similarly, a senior lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, said the minister betrayed the confidence of Nigerians and called on her to resign her portfolio.
Falana also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to speed up the ongoing investigation of the ministry and charge all indicted persons to court.
“It is interesting to note that the minister has not denied that she gave approval for the payment of the over half a billion Naira to a private account in contravention of the extant Public Service Rules as well as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Act and the Penal Code applicable in the Federal Capital Territory.
“Instead of apologising to the federal government and people of Nigeria and calling it quits for betraying the confidence reposed in her, the minister has arrogantly said that the N585.18 million fraud allegation is a mere fabrication by her detractors and an alleged attempt by mischief makers to undermine her ministry’s effort in fighting corruption and uplifting the needy.
“However, notwithstanding that the accountant general of the federation has successfully frustrated the criminal diversion of the said sum of N585.18 million from public treasury; it is crystal clear from the leaked memorandum of the minister that the offence of an attempt to commit a felony has already been completed.
“There can be no legal justification for the criminal diversion of the said sum of N585.18 million for disbursement to vulnerable people in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos and Ogun states since the ministry of humanitarian affairs has collated the individual bank accounts of all the vulnerable people.”
