Peter Gregory Obi, the former governor of Anambra State, has expressed his concerns over purported fraudulent activities within the humanitarian ministry.
This comes after Betta Edu’s suspension as a humanitarian affairs minister due to the misappropriation of N585 million earmarked for palliative distribution.
The Labour Party candidate in the 2023 general election observed that the ministry might function as a channel designed by the system to divert public funds, all the while utilizing the poor as a public face.
Taking to his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Obi said that the incessant cases of corruption in the ministry also confirmed the belief that the ministry might have been a conduit for political elites to divert public funds for themselves.
poverty alleviation in a time of severe suffering among the people. Unfortunately, a ruling elite that can shamelessly convert, divert, or misappropriate such huge sums meant for the poor cannot be trusted to address the severe poverty ravaging the people.
— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) January 10, 2024
Obi said,
- “By a sad coincidence, the alleged fraudulent diversion of N585 million of public money by Ms Edu broke almost at the same moment that the Minister who held the same portfolio in the last administration is being investigated for a whopping N37bn misappropriation.
- “The Ministry may have been created by the system as a conduit pipe to siphon public funds while using the poor as a face. Equally worrisome and disgusting is the fact that the missing funds are meant for poverty alleviation in a time of severe suffering among the people.
- “Unfortunately, a ruling elite that can shamelessly convert, divert, or misappropriate such huge sums meant for the poor cannot be trusted to address the severe poverty ravaging the people.”
What you should know
- Betta Edu faced severe backlash after being implicated in a N585 million disbursement scandal linked to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, drawing criticism from various rights groups and activists.
- Subsequently, the President on Monday took decisive action by promptly suspending the 37-year-old, making the former national women leader of his party the inaugural member to be ousted from his 48-man cabinet formed in August.
- Edu clinched her ministerial appointment about three months after Tinubu was sworn in as President. Her tenure as minister was, however, short-lived barely six months after, perhaps the shortest tenure by a minister in a long while.
- Edu’s predecessor, Umar-Farouq, is also being investigated by the EFCC. The ex-minister is being probed over an alleged laundering of N37.1 billion during her tenure as a minister.
