Betta Edu Suffering For Exposing Corruption - Sustainable Movement of Nigeria, SNM

According to Npower News, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been pleaded with to reinstate the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu back into office.

The plea was made by the Sustainable Movement of Nigeria, SNM who also claimed that Betta Edu is being blackmailed and witchunted for exposing corruption in the National social Investment Program Agency (NSIPA).

According to Npower News, the founder of the organisation, and a civil activist Mr. Kayode Arimoro in a press statement on Monday said that Betta Edu’s travails were orchestrated by persons who were culpable in a corruption scandal involving an unapproved transfer of ₦44,800,000,000 in 2023.

According to Mr. Kayode Arimoro the former Cross River Health commissioner, Betta Edu was suspended seven days after she raised alarm and demanded investigation into the financial misappropriation of public funds.

Mr Kayode Arimoro further alleged that regular and new social media were heavily paid to run propaganda for days, internal persons were also planted to pressurize President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to suspend Betta Edu from office.

Highlighting the achievements recorded by Betta Edu while in office, Kayode Arimoro urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reinstate the suspended Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Betta Edu saying she is being tormented by a large network of prospective beneficiaries of the ₦44,800,000,000 corruption crime.

Kayode Arimoro said; “They made concerted efforts to defame a minister whose passion and policies were focused on the grassroots and who has shown poise and action to weed out corruption and irregularities within the ministry. just to teach her a lesson never to report fraud when she sees one”.

While President Bola Ahmed Tinubu intends to suspend the minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Betta Edu so that the ministry can be investigated, Kayode Arimoro pointed out that the period concerning the suspended minister was barely four months.

Kayode Arimoro affirmed that the reason for Betta Edu’s suspension was inconsequential given that all the projects she achieved were legally genuine with due approvals.

Kayode Arimoro said; “The said transfer of ₦587,000,000 which she wrote officially to the Accountant General and payments were made from the accountant general office, Given that she followed a laid down regulation from Chapter 14 section (iii) of the Federal Government Financial regulations.

According to Kayode Arimoro the section states clearly that “ in the disbursement of funds for non-personal advance for project/special programs, the leader of the project/special programs shall be the accounting officer, while an accountant of an appropriate grade shall be attached to each project/special programs and have responsibility for the disbursements as well as retirements of the non-personal advances”.

Kayode Arimoro said; “According to these financial regulation guidelines, the so-called private account to which funds were transferred is 3 qualifying accounts, which is managed by the Project accountant and there is evidence to show that the funds reached the intended beneficiaries in different states."

Reminding President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the efforts put in by Betta Edu during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Presidential campaigns, Kayode Arimoro stated that the suspended Minister Betta Edu believes strongly in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's eight point agenda aimed at alleviating poverty and combating corruption.

Kayode Arimoro said that Betta Edu remains instrumental to the achievement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed hope agenda;

“This battle must not be lost for the sake of the reputation Dr Edu has built over the years. Getting the ministry’s workings right would have solved Nigeria’s problems by over 70%, with 133,000,000 people living below poverty line and an additional ten million people thrown into poverty between January and April 2024.”

Source: https://sunnewsonline.com/betta-edu-suffering-for-exposing-corruption-says-group/