Nigeria’s president suspended the minister of humanitarian affairs with immediate effect and asked the corruption watchdog to investigate financial transactions involving her ministry, the president’s spokesperson said on Monday.
Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, is the first minister to be suspended, less than six months after her appointment by President Bola Tinubu, who won last year’s disputed elections vowing to revive growth in Africa’s biggest economy and fight corruption.
Spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale said the president had directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to conduct a thorough investigation into all aspects of the financial transactions involving Edu’s ministry.
A statement from President Bola Tinubu’s office said he had ordered an investigation into Dr Edu’s ministry.
Her office said she had approved the transfer into a personal account, which was not in her name, but said it was for the “implementation of grants to vulnerable groups”.
Dr Edu, 37, is the youngest minister in President Tinubu’s cabinet and is seen as a close ally of the president.
The suspension of a minister is a rare occurrence in Nigeria – Dr Edu is the first to lose their job since President Tinubu took office in May last year.
His predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, sacked only two ministers during his eight-year tenure.
Last week, local media reported on a leaked document that allegedly showed Dr Edu instructing a senior treasury official to transfer the money to the personal account of Bridget Oniyelu, the accountant for the government’s Grants for Vulnerable Groups initiative.
Reports that Dr Edu had asked for the funds be moved to a personal account, rather than a government one, caused outrage.
Mr Tinubu called for an investigation into the transfer on Sunday.
He asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for a “thorough investigation into all aspects of the financial transactions involving the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation,” said a statement released on Monday.
Mr Tinubu asked Dr Edu to comply with the investigation. He also called for the reform of government institutions that run National Social Investments Programmes (NSIP) – initiatives like the Grant for Vulnerable Groups that aim to tackle poverty – stressing a need to “win back lost public confidence”.
Africa’s biggest economy and energy producer, Nigeria has struggled for decades with endemic corruption among senior public servants and the political elite, who many Nigerians blame for widespread poverty in the country.
Tinubu asked a panel led by Finance Minister Wale Edun to review the framework of social protection programmes meant for poor households in a bid to win back public trust.
