President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC to launch a full-blown investigation into the finances of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
Tinubu handed down the directive in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, who also announced the suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, over the 585-million-naira scandal in the ministry.
Edu’s suspension was happening as her predecessor, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, was grilled for about 12 hours by the EFCC detectives over the ongoing probe into the 37.1billion naira allegedly laundered during her tenure in office, through a contractor, James Okwete.
Data from the Budget Office indicate that the ministry, erstwhile known as Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, had a 2.38 trillion budget from 2020 to 2024. In compliance with the presidential directive, the EFCC has also summoned Edu to appear before its detectives today.