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President Bola Tinubu wielded the big stick recently when he suspended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, from office. The minister was alleged to have diverted over N585million of public money into a personal bank account belonging to one Bridget Oniyelu, the accountant for the Grants for Vulnerable Groups initiative. The Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, did not sanction the transaction. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is already investigating the matter. Edu has denied any wrongdoing. Her office claimed the transfer into a personal account was for the implementation of grants to vulnerable groups.
We applaud the suspension of the minister pending the outcome of investigations against her. We cannot continue to fight corruption with kid gloves. The monster has persisted in the country because the powers that be have shown little or no interest in fighting it wholeheartedly.
The monetisation of our political process worsened the problem. Those seeking elective positions spend a lot of money to achieve their ambition. From the voting process to the judicial process, a lot of resources are wasted in the name of seeking for a political office. Once the person gets his desired position, he moves to recoup whatever he had spent to get elected. The same scenario plays out even for ministerial and similar positions. Huge sums of money are spent to lobby for such positions. At the end of the day, the appointed persons strive to get their money back.
The Humanitarian Affairs ministry has been in the public eye over the way money is spent in that ministry. Like Edu, the immediate past Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouk, is also under investigation by the EFCC over alleged N37.1 billion fraud during her tenure. The woman has denied any wrongdoing. Earlier last year, Farouk claimed her ministry invested over N1.358 trillion in various programmes under its National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) in six years.
The EFCC had earlier detained and quizzed the suspended National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the National Social Investment Agency (NSIPA), Halima Shehu. She was later released on bail. NSIPA is being supervised by the Humanitarian Affairs ministry and Mrs. Shehu was responsible for overseeing the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme during ex-President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
It is unfortunate that money meant to alleviate the suffering of the poor is allegedly being frittered away in this fashion. During COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, the ministry claimed to have fed schoolchildren who were at home due to the lockdown. At some point in 2020, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) alleged a diversion of N2.67 billion meant for school feeding during the COVID-19 lockdown into personal accounts.
In May 2019, the former First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, said the NSIP failed woefully to achieve its aim in Kano and most parts of Northern Nigeria. She regretted that the National Social Investment Office allegedly spent $16 million in buying mosquito nets which did not get to her village in Adamawa. The National Assembly had also queried the N12 billion purportedly spent monthly on the scheme then, and even called the entire exercise a scam.
Nigeria is a rich country, but it has continued to suffer the wanton rape of her resources. The masses are asked to tighten their belts while the people in power have continued to fritter away the national wealth. This administration must show a clean break from the past if it desires to improve the lot of the citizens.
It is imperative to note that Edu is a young woman. At 37, she is the youngest minister in Tinubu’s cabinet. Most often, we clamour for the inclusion of youths and women in leadership positions in the country, believing that they will make a difference. The allegations against Edu have put question marks on this belief.
We must warn that nothing should be swept under the carpet this time. The EFCC should conduct thorough investigations and whoever is found culpable should be made to face the full weight of the law. There should be no room for vendetta; neither should there be any talk about plea bargain. Tinubu should set a clear example with this case if the government is serious about fighting corruption.
There may be similar cases in some other ministries, departments and agencies of government. The anti-corruption agencies must do their work. On no account should any individual or group be spared if found guilty. It is evil for the rich or those in power to steal the money meant for the poor and vulnerable Nigerians. We had argued that sharing cash to the poor will not solve the problem of poverty in the country. It only gives room for abuse and corruption. Government should think more of sustainable programmes that will lift people out of poverty. It should either reform the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry and improve the implementation of its programmes or scrap it outright.
