Phrank Shaibu, Special Assistant on Public Communication to the former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has told President Bola Tinubu that even though his suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, is commendable, it is not enough.
The president slammed her with a suspension following a leaked memo showing that she ordered the transfer of N585.2 million into the private bank account.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Shaibu said that it was unfortunate that a programme that was designed to lift over 100 million Nigerians out of extreme poverty had become a cash cow for successive All Progressives Congress (APC) governments.
He stated: “While Tinubu deserves commendation for suspending Edu, we believe this is a belated move. Firstly, he had no business appointing her as a minister of such a sensitive ministry in the first place. Tinubu put politics ahead of competence, hence this scandal. What experience did Betta have in the development sector?”
The aide also drew the attention of the public to other leaks that showed that the ministry, under Edu’s watch, gave a company owned by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, a total of N438.1 million for consultancy services.
According to him, “To be fair, it is not only Betta Edu that was involved in these shady transactions. More documents show that the minister of interior’s company also benefited. Reports suggest that others in the Tinubu government got cash from this same ministry under the dubious Renewed Hope Initiative.
“Betta Edu should not be the fall guy. Others who have remotely and wickedly benefitted from money that was meant for poor Nigerians ought to be fished out, probed, and prosecuted too. It is demonic and tendentiously wicked to steal in the name of the poor.
“Further leaks showed that millions were released by Betta Edu to fund a flight to a non-existent Kogi airport. They must have used witchcraft airways.”
Atiku’s aide said there was a need for the government to reform the humanitarian affairs ministry and other interventionist programmes that had become an ATM and POS for those in power.
He noted that the fact that the previous Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Sadiya Umar Farouq, was also being probed for N37bn fraud was evidence that immediate and urgent actions needed to be taken to reform the ministry.
Shaibu stated, “Even during the COVID-19 lockdown, Farouq continued to implement the school feeding programme. She ridiculously claimed that the food would be delivered to the students at home since schools were closed.
“Today, Betta Edu claims that over three million households got N20,000 each during the Yuletide. Sadly, there is no evidence of millions of Nigerians getting such money. This shows that money has just been going into private pockets.
“The scandal that we are contending with is not about Betta Edu, nor about Halima Shehu, or any other rogue element for that matter.
“It is about a problem of systemic corruption through which the APC continues to bleed the treasury, ironically asphyxiating the poor and vulnerable segment of the country, all in the name of caring for them.
“The APC has weaponized poverty and hunger to control the minds of the vulnerable masses, and it is even worse that they have devised a method to use poverty as an instrument of official corruption.”
Atiku’s aide noted that other agencies in the administration had also become a cesspool of corruption, as revealed by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism.
He said it would be partial for Tinubu to single out Edu and a few others while other corrupt officials were shielded.
Atiku’s aide added that it had become obvious that the monies saved from the removal of petrol subsidies had begun entering private pockets if reports of the December rice palliative were anything to go by.
He added, “The Presidency claimed to have given out N100 million worth of rice to each member of the House of Representatives and N200 million to each senator, which was to be shared with their constituents, only for a large number of the lawmakers to deny ever receiving such rice.
“It is obvious that palliative and intervention projects have become the albatross of the Tinubu administration. Tinubu must introduce a framework for such projects rather than arbitrarily sharing food and money in an opaque manner. Nigerians are suffering already. It is evil for the government and their agents to steal from the poor. This is the height of evil.”
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM TheWitness
PROFILE: Top 10 richest men in Africa 2024
In this article, TRIBUNE ONLINE takes a look at the most enterprising individuals in Africa, according to the…
How FG, Senators, contractors are handling Tinubu’s N200m palliatives — Sen Karimi
Details emerged on Sunday on how members of the National Assembly struck a deal with President Bola Tinubu to…
Bayelsa: Why we married our four-year-old child to 54-year-old man — Parents
A parent has stated why they married their four-year-old child to a 54-year-old man in…
Nigerian makes top 10 highest-earning content creators for 2023
From June 2022 to June 2023, the 50 richest content creators earned a total of…
Foul stench of Buhari’s corruption and Betta Edu
In a June 23, 2020, article titled “Sabiu Yusuf’s Fat Bank Accounts that Shocked CBN Governor” where…
Joshua to fight ex-UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou in Saudi Arabia
Two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will take on former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in…
