CRIME: N585m Scandal : Presidency Breaks Silence On Calls For Betta Edu’s Sack
The Evangelist News edition, Sunday January, 7, 2024. Admin.
The presidency has reacted to calls for the sack of Betta Edu as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation for requesting payment of N585.189 million grant meant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun and Lagos States into a private account.
Reacting to the calls on Saturday, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said “appropriate action will be taken after the ongoing investigation” into the matter.
In a chat with Daily Trust correspondent, Onanuga stated: “The matter is under investigation. Appropriate Action will be taken thereafter.”
Meanwhile, some civil society organisations (CSOs) and activists, have asked the president not to condone impunity, demanding that Edu be removed as minister and made to face interrogation by anti-corruption agencies.
The Executive Director of the Human Rights Monitoring Agenda (HURMA) Global Resource Initiative, Buna Olaitan Isiak, urged Tinubu “to set up a panel to probe the matter so as to set precedence for future culprits.”
“Payment of humongous public funds into a private account is purely corruption no matter the merit of her (Edu’s) defence. This is a violation of all the anti-corruption laws of Nigeria.
“The development is an opportunity to test the sincerity of President Tinubu on his willingness and determination to fight corruption and the readiness of his government to depart from the past ways of doing things.
“By now, Betta should be a guest of relevant anti-corruption agencies to answer questions about how our funds escaped to a private account. It is not too late to act,” he said.
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