Nigeria’s opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has called for the immediate sack and prosecution of the embattled Edu over alleged ₦44 billion financial impropriety at the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), as well as the payment of ₦585.2, million, into a private account.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP, said the alleged financial impropriety at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs was just a tip of the iceberg of the alleged plundering of national resources by the All Progressive Congress ( APC)-led Federal Government.
The opposition party stated that the continuation of Edu as minister was provocative and tantamount to stealing from the people and daring them to do their worst.
According to the PDP, “equally disheartening is the reports of how Betta Edu allegedly directed the transfer of the N585.2 million NSIPA money into the private account of one of her fronts in 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.”
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It claimed that the transfer of the fund into a private account, “an action which was appropriately declared illegal by the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, is consistent with APC’s character and proclivity for plundering of public resources.”
The opposition party noted that “the lack of remorse by the minister especially in her lame attempt to justify the illegal diversion of funds meant for poor Nigerians is also consistent with the insensitivity, heartlessness, impunity and criminal audacity inherent in the APC administration.
“A very disturbing information in the public domain indicates that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs is allegedly working with two prominent APC officials in the Presidency and the National Assembly, who are alleged to be using Ministers and other officials of government to divert billions of naira to personal accounts.
“What Nigerians demand of President Tinubu at the moment is to demonstrate commitment to the fight against corruption by immediately sacking Betta Edu, hand her over for investigation, prosecution and take steps to recover the stolen N44 billion and channel the fund recovered towards the wellbeing of Nigerians.
“The PDP also demands that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) immediately invite Betta Edu for questioning and take further steps to commence a system-wide investigation into the alleged large-scale corruption and treasury looting pervading in Ministries, Agencies and Departments (MDAs) under the APC administration.”