President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, from office.
This followed the alleged fraud she was embroiled in involving the approval of N585,198,500 to be disbursed into a personal account.
Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, in a statement on Monday, said the suspension was in line with his avowed commitment to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in the management of the commonwealth of Nigerians.
The statement reads:
“The President further directs 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, as well as one or more agencies thereunder.
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.”
The 37-year-old was until her appointment as minister in 2023, the national women leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).