Allegation that Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, perpetrated a N3bn fraud in her ministry has excited her response.
The claim is coming on the heels of the ongoing probe of a N37.1bn fraud in National Social Investment Programme Agency, NSIPA during the time of Edu’s predecessor, Hajia Sadiya Umar-Farouk.
A chain of events have happened with regard the investigation of the said N37.1bn fraud by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
NSIPA’s Chief Executive Officer, Halima Shehu was suspended by the Presidency and was quizzed for days by EFCC officials in their detention while Umar-Farouk had shunned the anti-graft commission’s investigation on health grounds.
Edu came into the picture unofficially with report online that she has also perpetrated N3bn fraud in NSIPA.
The minister disclaimed the charge via a statement her media aide, Rasheed Olanrewaju Zubair released.
It reads partly: “The Honourable Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, is fully aware of the baseless allegations, suspected to be instigated by certain individuals with ulterior motives, aimed at implicating her in the ongoing investigation into the NSIPA scandal by the anti-graft agency.
“The allegations against the minister were spurious oand suspected to have been sponsored by some fifth columnists aimed at dragging her name into the ongoing investigations of NSIPA scandal by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“Ordinarily, there is no substance in the said publication currently in some online media and does not deserve a response, but there is a 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.”
