Suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, was on Monday, denied access to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to TVC, the suspended minister was not allowed to meet with the President at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, a few minutes after her suspension from office was announced by the presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale.
In a video seen by Daily Trust, Edu’s vehicle was seen leaving the State House in a black SUV after she was denied access to the president.
A viral document signed by the Minister and addressed to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation showed that she ordered the payment of N585,189,500.00 into one Bridget Mojisola Oniyelu’s private account.
The leaked document showed that the money was paid into Oniyelu’s account.
The minister’s media aide, Rasheed Zubair, had in a statement on Friday said the payment followed due process.
Edu had also, in a statement she posted on her Facebook page on Saturday, said the allegation was baseless.
But the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Sunday said Tinubu had directed a thorough investigation into the matter, adding that any breaches would be decisively punished.
Meanwhile, Tinubu on Monday, said the suspension was in line with his avowed commitment to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in the management of the commonwealth of Nigerians.
The statement read: “The President further directs the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to conduct a thorough investigation into all aspects of the financial transactions involving the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, as well as one or more agencies thereunder.
“The suspended Minister is hereby directed to hand over to the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, and she is further directed by the President to fully cooperate with the investigating authorities as they conduct their investigation.
“Furthermore, the President has tasked a panel that is headed by the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance to, among other functions, conduct a comprehensive diagnostic on the financial architecture and framework of the social investment programmes with a view to conclusively reforming the relevant institutions and programmes in a determined bid to eliminate all institutional frailties for the exclusive benefit of disadvantaged households and win back lost public confidence in the initiative.
These directives of the President take immediate effect.” (Daily Trust)
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