The Minister, Betta Edu, explains the reasons behind approving a payment of N585 million into a private account associated with Tinubu.

 

The alleged financial corruption scandal at the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation is still unfolding, with a document revealing that Minister Edu Betta purportedly transferred N585,198,500.00 to a personal account.

 The document, circulating widely and signed by Edu, instructs the disbursement of the funds to Oniyelu Bridget, raising questions about the payment's legitimacy.

In response to the controversy, the Minister's Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Rasheed Zubair, insisted that the N585.198 million payment followed proper procedures. 

Zubair explained that the funds were intended for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states. He justified the payment to Oniyelu Bridget, stating that she currently serves as the Project Accountant of Grants for Vulnerable Groups.

Zubair emphasized that the N585.198 million grant is part of the Federal Government's social intervention schemes, specifically the Renewed Hope Grant for Vulnerable Groups, implemented by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. 

He also clarified that the program had already been launched in Kogi State, with plans for upcoming launches in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states.

"According to him, Oniyelu Bridget, serving as the Project Accountant for GVG in the Department of Finance, is legally permitted in the civil service to receive payment and utilize the same funds, duly retiring them with receipts and evidence after completing the project or program."

However, this development sparked controversy on social media, with Nigerians questioning why a substantial amount of the Federal Government's funds would be deposited into an individual's account.

 Reports indicate that public sector financial regulations from 2009 explicitly prohibit the transfer of public funds to a private individual's account. 

Section 713 of the law states that personal money should never be deposited into a government bank account, and public money should not be placed in a private bank account, with officers who violate this rule deemed to have acted with fraudulent intention.

It's worth noting that just four days ago, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu suspended the National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, Halima Shehu, an agency under Edu, due to alleged financial misappropriation.

 Subsequently, Halima Shehu was detained and questioned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged N44 billion fraud. 

As part of the investigation, EFCC froze N30 billion transferred from NSIPA's accounts. Additionally, a former Minister of the Ministry, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, was invited by the EFCC regarding a financial scandal allegedly involving contractor James Okwete.