Betta Edu and The Abstract Vulnerable Groups

Three women are currently trending in Nigeria. The Honorable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Betta Edu, the National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, Halima Shehu and the lucky housewife on Twitter, Mum Zee who found grace out of a single tweet. They are the talk of the town, if not the most talked about. Excluding the lucky woman on X (formerly known as Twitter), Betta Edu and Halima Sheu are women with a typical emblem of what a man can do, a woman can do it strategically better.

The duo of Betta Edu and Halima Sheu have been on suspension for corruption allegations levied against them with the viral leaked memo online. A document emerged that the Minister, Edu Betta allegedly disbursed N585,198,500.00 into a personal account.

According to a viral document signed by Edu directed to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Minister instructed the disbursement of N585,198,500.00 to one, Oniyelu Bridget. The document also showed that the payment of the N585.198 million grant meant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states, was made into Oniyelu’s account.

Halima Sheu was detained and drilled by the Economic Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over an alleged N44 billion fraud. While Betta Edu made an unauthorized transfer of 585 million naira to a personal account, Halima Sheu transferred 44 billion Naira in an administration that is less than a year.

The transfer of public funds into private accounts is against section 713 of the law which states, “Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private bank account. An officer who pays public money into a private account is deemed to have done so with fraudulent intention.”

From the above section of the law, it is unarguable that the money meant for the vulnerable groups as proclaimed was transferred to private accounts with fraudulent intentions.

Of course, the duo of Betta Edu and Halima Sheu have not done the most weird thing in the history of corruption in Nigeria. What amazed Nigerians is that, if such a whopping sum of money could be transferred to private accounts in an administration that is less than a year, how much would these women have transferred in four years?

From the experience Nigerians had with former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar-Farouq who fed school children with multi-millions during the Covid-19 lockdown, it seems the ministry is designed for organized corruption with its mode of operation.

If the operation of the ministry is not abstract, how would one measure vulnerable groups? What yardstick is being used to measure vulnerable groups? How much would a single vulnerable person earn from the ministry to move out of the vulnerable zone in the current economic condition? How does the ministry intend to capture the most vulnerable in the rural areas without account numbers? These are unrealistic nature of the operation of the ministry that harbors corruption.

In a June 15, 2023, appearance on the Brekete Family radio show in Abuja, Muhammed Kazaure Gudaji, a member of the House of Representatives representing the Kazaure, Roni, Gwiwa, Yankwashi Constituency of Jigawa State pointed out that enormous theft of public resources took place during the Buhari regime, and that if the government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu wanted to be taken seriously, it must investigate 12 high-profile personages of the Buhari regime

He gave their names as former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele; former EFCC chairman Abdulrasheed Bawa (and Magu, too); Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mele Kolo Kyari; Former Justice Minister and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami; former FIRS chairman Muhammad Mamman Nami; Sabiu “Tunde” Yusuf; DG of NIMSA, Bashir Jamoh; Mohammed Bello-Koko of the Nigerian Ports Authority; Hadiza Bala Usman also formerly of NPA; former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar-Farouq all CBN deputy governors who served with Emefiele; and the “entire leaders of the National Inter-Bank Settlement System.”

President Tinubu does not need a soothsayer to tell him the above names mentioned by Gudaji are worthy to be on a watch list. No administration is above corruption but, condoning it is disastrous to the National growth and development.

Kudos to Mr. President for sending a signal of his abhorrence for corruption. The suspension of Betta Edu and Halima Sheu is a deserving one. President Tinubu should shine his eyes. Betta Edu is not bettering humanitarian affairs.