Some civil society groups have urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to as a matter of urgency, conclude the ongoing investigation and prosecute the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu.
The CSOs, United Frontiers Against Corruption, UFAC, and Humanitarian Ambassadors for Renewed Hope, HARH, also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to reverse the suspension of Halima Shehu as the national coordinator of the National Social Investment Program Agency, N-SIPA.
In a statement jointly signed by their spokespersons, Donatus Abbor and Jacob Danlami, in Abuja on Thursday, the groups said it is now obvious that all allegations levelled against Mrs Shehu were orchestrated by the suspended minister to give her a bad name.
“We observed with total dismay and utter disappointment the recent admission by Mrs Betta Edu at the EFCC of diverting public funds to private accounts despite the warning of the account general of the federation office.
“The ridiculous claim that she was misled by close aides is not justifiable. We are therefore appealing to the anti-graft to immediately conclude its investigation and prosecute the suspended minister before a competent court of law to answer her crimes.”
Commenting further, the group added that, “this agency [NSIPA] is very critical to the Renewed Hope Agenda of our dear President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, but unfortunately Mrs Betta Edu and her accomplices are hellbent in destroying the good intentions of Mr President in reducing poverty and the humanitarian crisis plaguing the country”.
“We acknowledged the fact that, as minister, she is a signatory to the NSIPA account, but a unilateral decision to move funds without the knowledge of the chief executive and accounting officers of the agency amounts to acts of criminality and impunity.
“Most of these funds were also reportedly authorized without the knowledge and approval of the suspended NSIPA boss.
“Hajiya Halima needs to be commended for saving the nation from great loss by immediately moving the funds to the service providers account of the federal ministry of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation.
“We heard from reliable sources that she informed the relevant authorities before moving out those funds, and as confirmed by the investigators, those funds have been recovered without a dime missing,” the statement added.
On Thu, Jan 11, 2024, 3:08 PM Ibrahim Ramalan wrote:
Groups call for Betta Edu’s speedy prosecution, urge Tinubu to reverse Halima Shehu’s suspension
Some civil society groups have urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to as a matter of urgency, conclude the ongoing investigation and prosecute the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu.
The CSOs, United Frontiers Against Corruption, UFAC, and Humanitarian Ambassadors for Renewed Hope, HARH, also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to reverse the suspension of Halima Shehu as the national coordinator of the National Social Investment Program Agency, N-SIPA.
In a statement jointly signed by their spokespersons, Donatus Abbor and Jacob Danlami, in Abuja on Thursday, the groups said it is now obvious that all allegations levelled against Mrs Shehu were orchestrated by the suspended minister to give her a bad name.
“We observed with total dismay and utter disappointment the recent admission by Mrs Betta Edu at the EFCC of diverting public funds to private accounts despite the warning of the account general of the federation office.
“The ridiculous claim that she was misled by close aides is not justifiable. We are therefore appealing to the anti-graft to immediately conclude its investigation and prosecute the suspended minister before a competent court of law to answer her crimes.”
Commenting further, the group added that, “this agency [NSIPA] is very critical to the Renewed Hope Agenda of our dear President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, but unfortunately Mrs Betta Edu and her accomplices are hellbent in destroying the good intentions of Mr President in reducing poverty and the humanitarian crisis plaguing the country”.
“We acknowledged the fact that, as minister, she is a signatory to the NSIPA account, but a unilateral decision to move funds without the knowledge of the chief executive and accounting officers of the agency amounts to acts of criminality and impunity.
“Hajiya Halima needed to be commended for saving the nation from great loss by immediately moving those funds to more secure accounts.
“We heard from reliable sources that she informed the relevant authorities before moving out those funds, and as confirmed by the investigators, those funds have been recovered without a dime missing,” the statement added.
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