By Emmanuel Uffot
When Humanitarian Ministry was created by former President Muhammadu Buhari, it was primarily to handle humanitarian affairs by way of transferring cash and palliatives to those the then government termed ‘ most vulnerable and poorest of the Poor’s during the Covid- 19 era.
Perhaps in the thinking of President Buhari, a woman was most suitable for such a position. So Mrs Sadiya Umar-Farouq was appointed as the Minister.
But sadly, though it was common then for Nigerians to hear from her that billions of Naira have been disbursed by the Federal Government for palliatives and cash transfer to the concerned Nigerians, but most of those palliatives never got to them.
So when President Bola Tinubu came into office, he retained the Humanitarian Ministry. But alas, five months into office as Minister, of this important and sentitive Ministry in this era of harsh economic environment impoversing many Nigerians,Mrs Betta Edu the 37 year old medical doctor cum politician from Abi Local Government Area in Cross River State is already swimming in murky waters of scandal bothering on alleged corruption.
Edu who until her appointment as Minister was the youngest APC National Women Leader after serving as Commissioner for Health in Cross River State hard ordered the transfer of N585.2 million National Social Investment Programme fund to a private account of one Bridget Mojisola domiciled in UBA.
The bubble had bursted when she replied in a leaked memo of that transaction which was confirmed by the Accountant General of the Federation Mrs Oluwatoyin Madein of receipt of a memo of that transaction from the Ministry, but never acted on it.
In the said memo which found its way admitted on December 20, requesting the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) to transfer the said amount into a private account of an official of the Ministry.
According to her memo, the N585.2 million was transferred from the National Social Investment Programme office account and was meant for disbursement to vulnerable people in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos and Ogun States under the Federal Government poverty alleviation project called Grants for Vulnerable Groups( GVGs).
Edu also in said leaked memo revealed the official which the sum was transferred to her private account domiciled in UBA as Bridget Mijosola. And that she is the project accountant.
She gave the breakdown of intended disbursement as, N219.4 million for vulnerable people in Akwa Ibom State, N219.4 million to Lagos N73.8 million to Cross River State and N72.4m to Ogun State.
Her leaked memo which elicited outrage by many Nigerians, came on the heel of the ongoing investigation of the National Coordinator of National Social Investment Programme Agency ( NSIPA) Hajiya Halima Shehu over alleged N37.1 billion fraud in the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry.
Mrs Shehu, who worked under Sadiya Farouq former Minister, it could be recalled had said in December last year that over 1.5 million households in the country have received N20,000 each from the conditional cash transfer program of the federal government.
Given the backlash her action has reverberated among Nigerians, Edu came up with a reaction through her media aide, Rasheed Zubair. According to her, the leaked memo was part of the plot by detractors to blackmail her and stain her integrity because she ‘ alerted the federal government on the ongoing N44.8 billion fraud’ in NSIPA.
Apart from this, Edu has also been fingered in other scandals before bothering on alleged corruption.
In another leaked memo from another source dated November 6, 2023.
N72, 374,500 million was issued by the National Programme manager of requesting and approved by the minister as flight tickets for her staff to Kogi even as the state had no airport.
In that memo entitled ‘ The Disbursement Under the 2023 Grant for Vulnerable Groups Programme in Kogi State’.
The sum as reportedly approved by the minister was appropriated for her advanced team to travel by air to Kogi State for an event.
Each of the Minister’s advanced team including aides received the sum of N200,000 for flight tickets, N20,000 for airport taxis and local running expenses and Duty Tour Allowances ( DTA) depending on grade level all sum up to N72.374m.
Her own flight ticket was said to be N300,000
The uncovery of the shady deals by the minister expectedly, sent tongues wagging from several quarters asking for her sack and prosecution.
Apart from SERAP and Civil Society Groups, at the frontline of those asking for her sack was the People’s Democratic Party.
The PDP in a swift reaction to Minister’s intended corrupt action demanded her immediate sack and prosecution.
According to the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Debo Ologunagba, the diversion of the said funds into the private account of one her ( Edu) fronts, was a clear violation of Chapter 7, Section 713 of Nigeria’s Financial Regulations 2009 which expressly prohibits the payment of public money into a private account.
Quoting the Section of the Financial Regulations which provides that ” Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private account.
” An officer who pays public money into a private account is declared to have done so with a fraudulent intention”.
For the opposition party, the fraudulent intention the Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Minister in diverting public funds into a private account, was an inappropriate action that was declared illegal by the Accountant General of the Federation Mrs Oluwatoyin Madein.
Ologunagba claimed that the action of the minister was in tandem ” APC’s character and proclivity in plundering of public resources”.
Perhaps pressured by the flurry of condemnation of the Minister’s act obviously tantamounting to corruption, President Tinubu suspended the minister and urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to carry out a thorough investigation of the saga which many Nigerians have already dubbed ‘ Bettagate’.
She was asked to hand over to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.
The EFCC of the directive invited Edu for interrogation which lasted for over 10 hours before she was released on bail. The anti- graft agency seized her International Passport and also restricted her movement.
As the probe is ongoing, many posers have been raised on her action to determine whether her intention was for good or bad given the prevalent financial regulation governing such transaction.
For instance to buttress the point raised by PDP bothering on Financial Regulations 2009 which does not empower her to originate payment request directly having not been the Ministry’s accounting officer which the Permanent Secretary is.
Again, Chapter 7, Section 713 of the Financial Regulations 2009, emphasises separating public and private or personal money, stated that neither public money should be paid into private account, not personal money be paid into government account.
The regulations also emphasised that any officer that does that, is deemed to have violated the Section. So having served in government before, can she claimed ignorant of this provision.
Another poser begging for answer according to analysts is, why would the Minister pay such a huge sum to a civil servant account for her intention to disburse, instead of using electronic transfer beneficiaries directly as it was meant to be.
Going by the Nigeria’s Financial Regulations 2009, only the Minister of Finance is empowered to issue warrant for disbursement of appropriated funds. Why then did Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs played that role in this case?
Why did she issue request for payment of public money when she is not the accounting officer of her Ministry nor her appointed representative as stipulated in the Financial Regulations Act.
Another curious poser infront of the embattled Minister and the relevant investigative authority to address is , the National Social Investment Programme Agency, NSIPA, whose head is also under investigation is an Agency under the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry with its appointed head, then why did the Minister be the one signing transfer of funds from the agency’s account without the imput of the Organisation’s head who is the National Coordinator.
The suspended Minister is not new to controversy even in her short term in public service dating back to when she was Commissioner for Health in Cross River State.
As Commissioner then, a position she held till 2022 having been appointed in 2019 amidst Covid-19, she was accused of posting ‘ fake pictures of ventilators during the Covid-19 pandemic’.
Like Betta Edu, her predecessor Sadiya Farouq, is also under the EFCC investigation over her activities in the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry during her tenure which elapsed just last May 2023.
It could be recalled that the anti- graft commission ever before Edu was their guest, had invited her for questioning over the alleged N44 billion of the Ministry. The commission had given her 72 hours ultimatum to turn herself in for questioning.
However, she requested for three weeks extension over health ground which EFCC turned down insisting on their ultimatum.
Like her successor, she also turned herself in, and was quizzed, detain and released on bail with her International Passport also seized.
Farouq while at the helm of affairs at the Humanitarian Ministry as Minister had confounded many Nigerians as she constantly reeled out billions of Naira, she claimed government was spending on feeding of Primary school pupils in schools, even when the schools were under Covid-19 lockdown.
Even on palliatives, she also said huge sums were deployed on it to Nigerians, most distraught Nigerians feeling the pangs of Covid-19 lockdown never saw any palliatives until the exposition courtesy EnSars protest when some aggrieved youths who may have got wind of the hoarding of the products in warehouses, Invaded and carted some away.
The same thing played out in the celebrated ‘ cash transfer’ which the ruling APC government had used as a political weapon.
Many never received a dime inspite of claims by Sadiya Umar- Farouq of billions of Naira been giving to people under cash transfer by the federal government.
It is the alleged misappropriation of funds meant for the people at the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry over the years that has led to the National Coordinator of NSIPA Hajiya Halima Shehu been suspended at the moment and also undergoing probe of her activities.
Her agency had worked under Sadiya Farouq Humanitarian Ministry before the appointment of Betta Edu.
Indeed, the fact that the trio now embroiled in corruption scandal in a Ministry that was set up to care for the downtrodden are all women have shocked many onlookers given the agelong pedigree of women known to be good managers of public funds and ones at home.
Findings by Scroll Media reveals that since the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs was created by former President Buhari not less than three years ago, N2.8 trillion have been budgeted to it for its Humanitarian Affairs, but analysts are of the opinion not even 30 percent of that sum have impacted on the people meant for.
Even as some section of people, have said that the embattled public officers should not be subjected to media trial but should be given chance for investigating authorities to do their probe, there are indications that Sadiya Farouq, Betta Edu and Halima Shehu may be in for more troubles if the determination of the President to probe activities of the ministry and agencies under it are anything to go.
President Tinubu in furtherance of that probe, has constitute a 6 – man Presidential panel headed by the Minister of Finance Wale Edun to probe activities of the Humanitarian Ministry, NSIPA and other agencies under the ministry since their creation.
It is expected that more revelations would be unveiled in the course of that.
