An investigation conducted by Premium Times has revealed that Nigeria’s Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development unlawfully redirected over ₦1.4 billion into the personal bank accounts of eight employees over a four-year period.
The data, obtained from Govspend, exposes multiple breaches of financial regulations governing public finance in the country.
These illicit transactions occurred during the tenures of both Betta Edu and her predecessor, Sadiya Farouq, both of whom are currently under investigation by the EFCC for alleged corruption.
Betta Edu, who was recently suspended by President Bola Tinubu following public outcry over the approval of a ₦583 million transfer into a private account, is just one figure in this ongoing scandal.
The transfers, totaling 118 transactions between 2019 and December 2023, raise serious concerns about financial mismanagement within the ministry.
The recipients of these funds include Balogun Ibrahim, Ahmed Bomai, Oni Samuel O, Adelana Kazeem, Oyegbile Adeniran, Attahiru Zagga, Umar Idris, and Ezenekwe Chibuzor.
Transactions ranged from large sums to suspiciously labeled payments, such as one for “Being payment ‘iro’ correspondence with the national council on climate change” and another for “Being payment ‘iro’ scaling up of the unified social register.”
Despite the Ministry’s claims that these payments were for specific assignments and duly recorded, the circumvention of established financial systems like GIFMIS raises doubts about the transparency and accountability of these transactions.
The Ministry’s reliance on individual bank accounts rather than direct payments to vendors further underscores the need for comprehensive reforms to prevent future abuse of public funds.
Source: Premium Times
