Nigeria’s president has taken the unprecedented step of suspending the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, over allegations of diverting over 585 million naira ($640,000; £500,000) of public funds into a personal bank account.
President Bola Tinubu’s office issued a statement on Monday announcing the suspension, which followed public outrage over the scandal. The president has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the activities of Dr. Edu’s ministry.
Dr. Edu has strongly denied any wrongdoing, with her office stating that she authorized the transfer into a non-personal account for the “implementation of grants to vulnerable groups.” The account, however, was not in her name.
This suspension marks a rare occurrence in Nigerian politics, as Dr. Edu becomes the first minister to lose their position since President Tinubu assumed office in May of the previous year. Tinubu’s predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, removed only two ministers during his eight-year tenure.
Recent reports, based on leaked documents, suggest that Dr. Edu instructed a senior treasury official to transfer the funds into the personal account of Bridget Oniyelu, the accountant for the government’s Grants for Vulnerable Groups initiative. The revelation that the funds were directed to a personal account rather than a government one sparked widespread public outrage.
President Tinubu has called for a thorough investigation into all financial transactions involving the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, emphasizing the need to scrutinize every aspect of the alleged diversion.
