Tinubu Sacks Betta Edu 

The president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has sacked his Minister For Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu.

The presidents move may not be unconnected to the alleged misappropriation of N585 million meant for Grants for Vulnerable Groups.

A leaked memo, dated December 20, 2023, to the Accountant General of the Federation requesting the disbursement of the sum of N585 million was the genesis of the minister’s troubles.

Edu didn’t deny paying N585m into a private account instead she confirmed that she authorized payment of N585 million into a private account owned by one Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola and claimed the payment followed due process.
According to her, she currently serves as the Project Accountant for Grants for Vulnerable Groups.

However, the action of the Minister was against Chapter 7, Section 713 of the Federal Government’s Financial Regulations 2009, which notes, ‘Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private account’.
The Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatosin Madein, faulted Edu’s payment of N585 million into a personal account.

In a statement on Saturday, Madein said her office did not honour the payment request by Edu.

She noted that the Minister’s actions were against financial regulations.

On Sunday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered a probe into the allegation and vowed to punish those found guilty.