Investigators from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission questioned a number of senior civil servants connected to the scams on Wednesday, adding to the depth of the probe into the crimes at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
It was discovered that the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs had lost N50 billion to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission.
Between July and August of 2023, the ICPC collected the money that was set to be embezzled and deposited it into the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The sum, which was intended for vulnerable residents under previous Minister Sadiya Umar-Farouq’s administration, was reportedly prevented during attempts to move it into private bank accounts and was eventually retrieved by the ICPC under the leadership of its former Chairman, Bolaji Owasanoye.
Our reporter was informed by a reliable government source that the N50 billion was eventually given to the Federal Government led by President Bola Tinubu.
“The funds were recovered when former President Muhammadu Buhari and Umar-Farouq were leaving office and President Tinubu had not yet appointed a new humanitarian affairs minister,” the source said, confirming the development.
recovered money
“President Tinubu directed the Accountant-General of the Federation to return the funds to the ministry as part of the Infrastructure Support Fund for the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to mitigate the impact of the removal of fuel subsidies upon the appointment of the now-suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu.
The N44 billion purportedly laundered in the National Social Investment Program Agency and the N585 million Edu approved for payout are both included in the refunded amount.
Another source provided additional details regarding the fund’s interception and recovery, saying, “The ICPC, led by Prof. Owasanoye, blocked and recovered N50 billion from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs during the naira scarcity between late 2022 and 2023.”
N32 billion was the first amount banned and recovered; however, upon further investigation by the commission, an additional N18 billion was blocked and recovered from the ministry. The ICPC found that the funds were intended for the nation’s poor and vulnerable citizens, but the ministry led by the former minister, Umar-Farouq, was unable to disburse them because there was a shortage of money during the naira redesign period.
“The funds were deposited into the government’s account in July and August of 2023. When the previous minister was out of office and there was no new minister last year, several government employees tried to transfer the money into personal accounts. When the ICPC learned that the money was going to be disbursed in a dubious and fraudulent way, it promptly halted the funds and retrieved them.
“The Federal Government deposited the funds into the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry under Betta Edu, which is the ministry in charge of poverty alleviation projects, following President Tinubu’s announcement of the Infrastructure Support Fund for the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to mitigate the impact of the removal of fuel subsidies.”
Civil servants conducted interviews
EFCC detectives questioned numerous top civil officers in the ministry of humanitarian affairs on Wednesday as part of their ongoing investigation.
Our reporter was informed by a reliable source that despite the officials’ vague specifics, they provided the investigators with valuable information that helped them uncover financial misconduct within the ministry.
Additionally, the investigators met with Sadiya Umar-Farouq, the former minister, Betta Edu, the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, and Halima Shehu, the suspended CEO and National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme, an organization that falls under the humanitarian ministry.
As Edu is being looked into for having approved the transfer of N585 million to the private account of a ministry accountant, Bridget Oniyelu, Umar-Farouq, a minister under previous President Muhammadu Buhari, was being investigated for allegedly laundering N37 billion in money.
On the other hand, Shehu was under investigation for reportedly transferring N44 billion from the NSIP into a number of business and private accounts without the president’s consent.
“The women came today (Wednesday), and they’re cooperating with the commission,” an EFCC source said.
“The EFCC has also questioned and continues to question director generals and other senior officials under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.” Concerning the purported money laundering, senior representatives of certain banks are still responding to inquiries.
President Bola Tinubu suspended Edu on Monday. According to Edu, the N585 million payment was intended for underprivileged populations in the states of Lagos, Ogun, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom.
Rasheed Olarewaju, her media assistant, had asserted that it was permissible for civil servants to receive funds into their personal accounts, particularly for project accountants.
Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, the Accountant-General of the Federation, refused the minister’s request that her office honor the N585 million payment into the private account.
She stated that because MDAs are independent accounting organizations, the AGF does not make payments on their behalf.
The anti-graft authorities have been tasked by the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party to expand their current investigation to include all ministries, departments, and agencies that are implicated in corrupt activities.
While the LP pointed out that an investigation into public servants and other ministries “would bring some semblance of truthfulness into the system,” the PDP claimed that corruption was still occurring in practically all of the MDAs.
In an interview, Okechukwu Osuoha, the PDP’s deputy national legal adviser, clarified that government officials in every ministry ought to be investigated because they are purportedly used as tools to commit fraud.
He said that not only would a comprehensive and all-encompassing probe expose the fraud, but it would also assist in monitoring the actions of government workers across all ministries.
“Yes, the EFCC should look into other ministries,” said Osuoha. There is still corruption among public employees and in other ministries. Today is not when this began. Our system is corrupt, particularly in the civil service.
The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs is not the only ministry where corruption is at its worst; other ministries also engage in dishonest behavior. There are problems with financial misuse and embezzlement.
Therefore, all of these should be the attention of the government and relevant institutions. They ought to be looked into.
“You will typically find civil workers engaging in several fraudulent acts in most ministries. They are the most guilty since they serve as fraud’s machinery nonstop. Therefore, all of them need to be looked into by the Federal Government and the anti-graft agencies.
Ibrahim Abdullahi, the PDP’s deputy national publicity secretary, stated that more ministries and government employees ought to be the subject of in-depth inquiries.
“Yes, the investigation should be comprehensive and include the civil servants,” he said. It would act as a disincentive to corrupt and malicious Nigerians. It is necessary to look into other ministries as well.
Group gives FG advice.
Speaking at the same event, Yunusa Tanko, the spokesperson for the 2023 LP’s Presidential Campaign Council, said that opening up the investigation to other MDAs will aid in purging the civil service.
“Ministers cannot do anything alone,” stated Tanko, who demanded an open investigation. Throughout the entire procedure, civil personnel are involved. The investigation should be expanded by the president to include additional ministries and government employees. That will contribute to system sanitization.
In actuality, all others are impacted when the head has credibility issues. Leadership issues are the reason for the extraordinary treasury looting that is occurring throughout various echelons of society.
Thus, all of this looting is occurring because when a fish’s head is rotting, it affects the others as well. However, if the government’s goal is to purify the system, expanding the investigation to include other ministries and public officials will lend credibility.
He continued, reasoning that all the MDAs’ and their participants’ shenanigans would be made public by an open probe.
This is significant because every action taken by these ministries and the civil service is connected in some way. Therefore, one person cannot take on so many of these kinds of actions. There are other people involved in one form or another. Thus, he argued, “an open investigation will give a semblance of truthfulness.”
The chairman of the Center for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, endorsed the request that the ongoing investigation be extended to other MDAs. He said that the EFCC should also question the permanent secretary and other ministry directors, pointing out that they should have provided the minister with the appropriate training on public procurement.
In order to verify purchase orders, he continued, the ICPC should establish Anti-Corruption and Transparency desks in each ministry.
In actuality, Betta Edu, the political appointee in that ministry, should have received the proper orientation on civil service procedures in procurement and financial issues from the permanent secretary, the DFA (Director, Finance, and Administration), and the accounting officer. It is these three individuals who should have been detained and interrogated.
In every MDA, including the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, a desk for the ICPC is anticipated. The Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit, or ACTU, is the designated name for the ICPC desk in that particular ministry. Additionally, he stated that all procurement transactions will go through the ACTU desk, where the organization will check to see if the order complies with civil service regulations.
The African Centre for Media Information and Literacy’s Coordinator, Chido Onumah, for his part, called for an investigation into the ministry of humanitarian affairs and other MDAs, saying that the case was “a door into possible scandals in other MDAs.”
He declared, “This is merely a window into the widespread corruption that exists within ministries, departments, and agencies, as we all know or assume.” I hope it gives this administration and the anti-graft authorities a chance to take action.
“Maybe not, perhaps the minister was aware of what they were doing. However, my main argument is that there is a severe lack of protocol and an institutional failure here.
Since the permanent secretary is essentially the accounting officer, I believe that person should be the one to originate memos and bring them to the minister after they’ve gone through the necessary procedures.
Thus, further inquiries about what happened are warranted, regardless of who provided the note to the minister directly or the permanent secretary.
Following the suspension of Minister Edu, Abel Enitan, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, has assumed leadership of the ministry’s operations.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sacked the minister on Monday due to the alleged N585 million payment into a private account.
She was instructed to turn herself in to the permanent secretary and to assist the investigative authorities in any way possible while they carried out their inquiry.
After supposedly receiving a letter on Monday night from the Secretary’s office to the Government of the Federation, Enitan took charge.
