THE Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Edu Betta, has explained the circumstances that led to the transfer of public funds into a private account, following allegations that she diverted the sum of N585,198,500.00 into a personal account.
The allegation started when a document emerged showing that the minister had in a letter to the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, instructed the disbursement of the amount 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.
But the minister, through her Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Rasheed Zubair, said N585.198 million payment for the vulnerable group followed due process and was made into Oniyelu’s account because she currently serves as the Project Accountant of Grants for Vulnerable Groups.
He explained: “For the avoidance, the said N585m was approved and it is meant to implement grants to vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states.
“We must note that GVG was first launched in Kogi State, where recipients testified. Akwa Ibom and Cross River were launched in December 2023. Kogi already happened in November and others will be launched in the coming weeks.
“The general public is invited to note that the Renewed Hope Grant for Vulnerable Groups is one of the social intervention schemes of the Federal Government, which the Ministry is implementing.
Oniyelu Bridget is the Project Accountant for GVG from the Department of Finance and it is legal in civil service for a staff, the project accountant, to be paid and use the same funds legally and retire the same with all receipts and evidence after the project or programme is completed.”
Public sector financial regulations of 2009 prohibit the payment of public funds into account of a private individual, with Section 713 stating: “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.”
This is happening days after President Bola Tinubu suspended the National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), which is under the ministry, Halima Shehu, over an alleged N44billion misappropriation.
She was briefly detained and questioned by the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before her release, while the anti-corruption agency froze N30billion moved from NSIPA accounts, pending further investigations.
Also, Edu’s predecessor, Sadiya Umar Farouq, is being investigated over alleged corruption while in office.
