Morning shows the day, so goes a saying. That is why it is encouraging that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betty Edu, and the Coordinator/Chief Executive Officer of National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA), Halima Shehu, over allegations of mismanagement of resources earmarked to lift the poor in the country. It shows that the president is serious with his avowal to fight corruption, and we commend him for that.
The Tinubu administration earlier ordered the investigation of the previous minister in-charge of the ministry during the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, Hajiya Saadiya Umar Faruk, over allegation of fraud. The former minister allegedly laundered N37,170,855,753.44 through a contractor, James Okwete, while the suspended minister, Edu, against public service rules, paid N585 million into a private account, whom she called a project officer. According to the anti-graft agency, substantial part of the N37 billion spent under Hajiya Faruk has been traced to several private accounts which have been frozen.
Nigerians are appalled that the ministers could authorise such payments when, ordinarily, the permanent secretary and directors are in a position to forestall such practice. So, it is good that the EFCC is also quizzing the bureaucracy in the ministry, to ascertain the degree of their culpability. The investigation of bank executives over their role is equally commendable, as monies are laundered through banks. We urge the EFCC to unearth the whereabouts of the monies allegedly laundered through contractors and sundry consultants.
The alleged involvement of a company linked to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, is very worrisome. While the minister claimed he resigned from the company many years ago, did he influence the winning of the contract, which his wife runs? And was due process followed in awarding that and other consultancy services, gulping over N3 billion? A thorough investigation is necessary so there would be no insinuation of tribal or gender sensitivity on the part of the administration.
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The N585 million under investigation was earmarked for payment of grants to vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Cross River and Ogun states. Announcing the minister’s suspension, the president’s special adviser on media and publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said: “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. Betty Edu, from office with immediate effect.”
He went on: “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 hereunder.”
We commend President Tinubu for sending a clear message to all ministries, agencies and parastatals that it is no longer business as usual. No doubt, corruption is at the root of the gross underdevelopment of our country, and no significant progress can be made without confronting it headlong.
It is very sad that a ministry created with the best intention to lift millions of poor and vulnerable in our society from poverty, appears to have become a conduit for corrupt enrichment and vile practices. How those put in custody of monies for the multi-dimensionally poor, the disabled and the vulnerable, feel comfortable to mismanage such resources beats our imagination. While all forms of corruption are condemnable, tampering with monies for this category of persons is the height of moral decadence.
We also commend the president for empanelling a committee headed by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, to examine the financial structure and operations of the social investment programmes. We wonder why the programmes appear to have become a source of temptation for the ministry officials. Is there too much lose money in the ministry, or are there no structures, forcing the officials to engage in un-bureaucratic processes? As some have questioned, is such a ministry a surplus?
Over the years, our country has suffered so much in the hands of corrupt public officials, and the stench oozing from such practices can be quenched by the Tinubu administration. The international community and foreign investors would only take our country serious when public corruption is dealt with, without fear or favour. Thankfully, the Tinubu administration has shown determination to fight it, regardless of whose ox is gored. The EFCC must toe the same path; it should not fail Nigerians.
We urge the commission to thoroughly investigate the allegations of corruption in the ministry and its agencies, and bring any person who may have abused his/her office to public account. The monies involved should be traced to wherever they were kept and recovered, and the outcome of the investigation should be made public.
