Minister Betta Edu, In An Apparent Display Of Ignorance Of The Law

Suspended Minister for Humanitarian Affairs And Poverty Alleviation Betta Edu, in an apparent display of ignorance of the law or having been misled by an unlawful culture of payments into private accounts for projects in the ministry for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, defended the request for the payment to be made into a personal account. According to Betta Edu, “Onyelu Bridget is the Project Accountant for GVG (Grant for Vulnerable Group) from the Department of Finance and it is legal in civil service for a staff, the project accountant, to be paid and use same funds legally and retire same with all receipts and evidence after project or programme is completed.”

However, the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, denied honouring Betta Edu's request. Oluwatoyin Madein statement released through the Director of Press, Mr. Jacob Mokwa, reads: “The AGF explained that although her office received the said request from the ministry, it did not carry out the payment. The ministry was, however, advised on the appropriate steps to take in making such payments in line with the established payment procedure. The AGF noted that in such situations, payments are usually processed by the affected ministries as self-accounting entities and no bulk payment is supposed to be made to an individual’s account in the name of the Project Accountant. She added that such payment should be sent to the beneficiaries through their verified bank accounts. Dr. Madein reiterated her determination to uphold the principles of accountability and transparency in the management of public finances. She advised MDAs to always ensure that the requisite steps are taken in carrying out financial transactions.”

Also, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission was said to have recovered ₦50,000,000,000 from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, which was about to be pilfered between July and August, 2023. The said amount was reportedly paid into the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

It is worth noting that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation under Betta Edu was said to have paid a huge sum of ₦483,000,000 as consultancy fees allegedly for the verification of the discredited National Social Register to a company in which the current Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, is alleged to have substantial interest.

Npower News and other publications welcomes the steps taken so far by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration with respect to the alleged sleazes in the Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Ministry. It is a major departure from the previous government. “In line with his avowed commitment to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency and accountability in the management of the commonwealth of Nigerians, President Bola Tinubu suspends the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, from office with immediate effect,” read the statement by the President’s spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale.

We commend the earlier suspension of Halima Shehu, the extension of the dragnet of investigation by the anti-corruption agencies to include ex-minister Sadiya Umar-Farouk and the suspension of all administered programmes by the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA). The President, according to the spokesperson, approved the establishment of a Special Presidential Panel to be headed by Mr Wale Edun, 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 to conclusively reform 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.”

However, this medium will not be drawn into the current hysteria, the temptation to treat symptoms rather than the disease. Nigeria, over the decades, indulges in pruning its selected branches rather than uproot the tree of corruption.

The current scandals are not in any way novel; they have been part and parcel of our governance system over the years. Little wonder the country has consistently occupied the bottom rung of the Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International rankings. For instance, the country retained its abysmal point of 24 out 100 points both in 2021 and 2022; and 25 out of 100 points in 2023. Through the same lax and permissive system, the country is said to have lost over 600 billion US Dollars to corruption since independence in 1960. According to 2019 report by Human Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), “The funds stolen are about $600bn.” About the same figure was echoed by Chatham House. “This amount is enough to build a new country from the scratch and turn around the social, industrial and economic infrastructures to meet global standards,” Suraju Olanrewaju, the Human Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Chairman stated.

Source: https://independent.ng/corruption-in-the-public-sector-beyond-the-symptoms-2/