BREAKING: Tinubu Suspends Poverty Alleviation Minister, Betta Edu Over N585m Scandal

The Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Betta Edu has been suspended by President Bola Tinubu over an alleged N585 million scandal.

This was disclosed by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, on Monday.

“In line with his avowed commitment to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in the management of the commonwealth of Nigerians, President Bola Tinubu suspends the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, from office with immediate effect,” the statement read in part.

Recall that following backlashes, Tinubu directed a comprehensive inquiry into the alleged N585m scandal in the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

A leaked memo by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, instructed the Accountant-General of the Federation, Dr Oluwatoyin Madein, to pay N585m into the private bank account of a project accountant in her ministry, Bridget Oniyelu.

The minister had claimed that the N585m payment was meant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states, describing the allegations against her as baseless.

The Media Assistant to the Minister, Rasheed Olarenwaju, said in a statement that it was legal within the civil service for such payments to be made into private accounts of staff members, especially project accountants.

The release read;