The tip is but to be seen within the alleged monetary corruption scandal rocking the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, as a doc emerged that the Minister, Edu Betta allegedly disbursed N585,198,500.00 into a private account.
In accordance with a viral doc signed by Edu directed to the Workplace of the Accountant-Normal of the Federation, the Minister instructed the disbursement of N585,198,500.00 to 1, Oniyelu Bridget.
The doc additionally confirmed that the fee of the N585.198 million grant, meant for weak teams in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun and Lagos states, was made into Oniyelu’s account.
Nevertheless, reacting to the event, the Particular Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Minister, Rasheed Zubair stated N585.198 million fee for the weak group adopted due course of.
He acknowledged that the fee of the grant to the account of a person, Oniyelu Bridget, was as a result of the man at the moment serves because the Undertaking Accountant of Grants for Weak Teams.
He defined that the fee of the N585.198 million grant was meant for weak teams in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun and Lagos states.
“For the avoidance, the stated N585m was accredited, and it’s meant to implement grants to weak teams in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states.
“We should be aware that GVG was first launched in Kogi State, the place recipients testified. Akwa Ibom and Cross River have been launched in December 2023. Kogi already occurred in November, and others shall be launched within the coming weeks.
“Most people is invited to notice that the Renewed Hope Grant for Weak Teams is without doubt one of the social intervention schemes of the Federal Authorities, which the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation is implementing.
“Oniyelu Bridget is the Undertaking Accountant for GVG from the Division of Finance, and it’s authorized in civil service for a employees, the mission accountant, to be paid and use the identical funds legally and retire the identical with all receipts and proof after the mission or programme is accomplished”, he acknowledged.
In the meantime, the event triggered a stir on social media as Nigerians puzzled why an enormous sum of the Federal Authorities’s cash could be paid to a person’s account.
Arogidigba International Journal gathered that public sector monetary rules of 2009 prohibit the fee of public funds to the account of a personal particular person.
Part 713 of the legislation states, “Private cash shall in no circumstances be paid right into a authorities checking account, nor shall any public cash be paid into a personal checking account. An officer who pays public cash into a personal account is deemed to have completed so with fraudulent intention.”
Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu barely 4 days in the past suspended the Nationwide Coordinator of the Nationwide Social Funding Programme Company, Halima Shehu, an company underneath Edu, over alleged monetary misappropriation.
Consequently, Halima Shehu was detained and drilled by the Financial Monetary Crimes Fee, EFCC, over an alleged N44 billion fraud.
Following an investigation, EFCC froze N30 billion moved from NSIPA’s accounts.
Equally, a former Minister of the Ministry, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, was invited by the EFCC over a monetary scandal allegedly carried out by way of one contractor, James Okwete.