Dr. Betta Edu who is the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation has explained her alleged involvement in the missing N3 Billion National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIP) funds for which the agency’s Co-ordinator/CEO, Ms Halima Shehu was suspended on Tuesday and currently under investigation by the EFCC.
Several organizations and stakeholders have alleged that Betta Edu, being the overseeing Minister of the agency could have a hand in the missing funds and should not be exempted from the ongoing interrogation.
Most recent is the petition by a political group named PDP Forever Initiative which addressed news correspondents yesterday in Abuja alleged saying;
“However, information at our disposal revealed that the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu may have questions to answer as Ms Halima had worked with her for three years when she was the APC National Woman Leader and possibly influenced her appointment at NSIPA, an agency she oversees”.
“Today, the Honourable Minister is enjoying her holiday while the National Co-ordinator and CEO of NSIPA is being sacrificed. If the government is sincere, the Honourable Minister should have been suspended alongside the National Coordinator and CEO of NSIPA to pave the way for effective investigation.
“Because we are aware that there have been direct dealings of the Minister with the coordinators instead of reporting to the National Coordinator/Chief Executive Officer of NSIPA, they report directly to the Minister, thereby neglecting the people of Nigeria”.
Fielding a response to the allegations above, the Minister issued a press release today.
Press Release
Re-Betta Edu Fingered In N3bn NSIPA Fraud Scandal; A Tissue of Lies, Spurious Allegation To Divert Anti-Graft Agency’s Attention
The attention of the Honourable Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu has been drawn to spurious allegations suspected to have been sponsored by some fifth columnists aimed at dragging the hard-earned reputation and integrity of the Honourable Minister into the ongoing investigations of NSIPA scandal by the anti- graft agency.
Ordinarily, there is no substance in the said publication currently in some online media and does not deserve a response, but there is need to set the record straight for Nigerians and followers of the current development in NSIPA under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to be properly informed. This is necessary because the social media, in recent times, has been riddled with lots of fake and unsubstantiated news. The desire to drag traffics, also make desperate living by many bloggers has spurred several online content makers to throw caution into the wind; and rev in propaganda aimed at attacking government appointees.
There was no time the Minister, Dr. Betta Edu requested for any fund, needless to mention withdrawal of such amount of money to the tune of N3billion since her (Dr. Betta) assumption of office as the Minister from National Social Investment Programme Agency’s (NSIPA) coffer in the last four months, albeit one month was quoted in the sponsored ‘Fake News’.
The Verification of the National Social Register (NSR) as quoted in the said publication online, was approved not only by Mr. President, but also by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in line with the Renewed Hope Mandate to expand the NSR as well as imbue it with integrity.
The conclusion of the well publicised Verification Exercise led to the expansion of the National Social Register and commencement of payment sequentially and directly from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to various beneficiaries.
For the records, all the Programmes embarked by the Ministry under the current Minister, Dr. Betta Edu, thus far, including Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), Grants for Vulnerable Groups (GVG) and others secured the approval of Mr President.
Again, let it be known that there was no time, the Ministry not (Dr. Betta) withdrew any fund from the NSIPA account, let alone N3Billion without due diligence, and painstaking approval from the appropriate authorities.
The Honourable Minister wishes to inform the general public that she has no hand in the current travails of the leadership of the NSIPA, therefore her good name should not be dragged into the ongoing suspension and investigations as approved by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The responsibility of providing soccur to vulnerable Nigerians and pulling 50 millions out of poverty index within 42 months in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda has taken the Minister across the length and breath of Nigeria and is achievable.
Therefore, the Media (Online and Conventional) should not be used to drag the good name of the Honourable Minister into the current investigation in a bid to divert the attention of anti-graft agency and other Nigerians.
Rasheed Olanrewaju Zubair (ANIPR),
Special Adviser on Media & Publicity to Honourable Minister, FMHAPA.
04/12/2024.