President Bola Tinubu has suspended the Minister of
Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, from office with
immediate effect.
A statement by Tinubu's media aide, Ajuri Ngelale 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 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 statement read, “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.”
These directives of the President will take with immediate
effect, it said.
