EFCC: Latest Betta Edu News, Updates On Humanitarian Ministry Scandal For Jan. 18, 2024

As the controversy associated with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation rages on, Naija News brings you the latest update on suspended Minister, Betta Edu, her predecessor Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouq and others associated with the scandal.

‘Sacking Beta Edu, Tunji-Ojo Will Send Clear Signal To Others’ – Ohanaeze Youths Tells Tinubu

Apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has asked President Bola Tinubu to sack the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu and her counterpart, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, of the Interior Ministry.

Naija News reports that the Ohanaeze Youths National President, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, made this known on Wednesday during a press briefing in Enugu, stressing that the sacking of the two ministers will send a clear signal to other Tinubu’s aides and heads of government agencies.

It could be recalled that Tinubu suspended Edu earlier in the month after a memo surfaced wherein she asked Oluwatoyin Madein, accountant-general of the federation, to transfer N585 million to a private account.

Similarly, the interior minister is under scrutiny over allegations that his company, New Planet Project, got paid hundreds of millions of Naira as consultancy fees for some work done for the scandal-ridden Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

Speaking at the press briefing, Okwu said President Tinubu’s promise to fight corruption in the country must be demonstrated through the immediate sack of Edu and Tunji-Ojo.

‘It Can Only Happen In Nigeria’ – Peter Obi Reacts To Report Of N3bn Approval For National Social Register Verification

The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has reacted to reports that the federal government approved the huge sum of N3bn for the verification of the national social register.

Obi, in a post via his X platform account on Wednesday, questioned the rationale behind such approval and lamented that such could only happen in Nigeria.

Naija News recalls there are reports that President Bola Tinubu approved the release of N3 billion for the verification of the National Social Register. This has triggered mixed reactions from Nigerians both on and off social media.

In his own reaction, Obi described the report as a sad surprise and lamented that the amount approved for national register verification is more than the amount budgeted for some critical activities in the 2024 budget.

EFCC Quizzes AGF Over N585 Million Humanitarian Ministry Scandal

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has begun investigating the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, for her alleged involvement in the N585.2 million fraud involving suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu.

The EFCC interrogators questioned the AGF on Monday at Jabi, Abuja, the headquarters of the anti-graft agency, according to reports obtained from Punch Newspaper.

Naija News reports that Madein was questioned for more than six hours and freed without any conditions in the evening.

She was questioned on the transfer of N585.2 million in public funds from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs into a government official’s personal bank account, according to an impeccable anti-graft source who verified the occurrence.