WOMAN IN THE NEWS: Betta Edu, the humanitarian minister in the eye of the storm

Betta Edu’s emergence as the youngest minister in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet was a highly welcomed development and a win for advocacy for the inclusion of women and youths in government. Many even considered it a win for the #NotTooYoungToRun campaign.

In 2019, at the age of 33, she became a commissioner in Cross River state and began an enviable career in public service.

As the commissioner of health in the oil-rich state, in 2020, Edu became the chairman of the Cross River State COVID-19 Taskforce, and in August 2022, she was appointed national chairman of the Nigeria Health Commissioners Forum.

She later became the national women leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), after which the president appointed her the minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation.

Edu obtained her first degree in medicine and surgery from the University of Calabar, Cross River state. She has a postgraduate diploma in public health for developing countries from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, a master’s degree in public health in developing countries from the same London institution, and a doctor of public health from Texila American University.

The 37-year-old public health specialist has built for herself a commendable record and career growth projection and has only been the subject of mild controversies until now.

In March 2022, a group identified as the Buharists Hang Out (BHO) asked the screening panel of the APC caretaker and extraordinary convention planning committee to disqualify Edu from contesting as the national woman leader of the party.

The BHO said Edu’s position during the #EndSARS campaign was “unpatriotic”.

The BHO’s petition against Edu came hours after some tweets—including one asking that the Lekki tollgate be “brought down permanently”—said to have been posted by the commissioner during the #EndSARS protests in October 2020 surfaced online.

In response, Edu, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) until June 2021, said her loyalty lies with the APC while acknowledging that some of her posts on X during the #EndSARS protest may have been “indelicate”.

A month later, she got on the nerves of Nigerians, especially the younger population, when she said any youth who cannot raise N50 million should not be aspiring to become the president of Nigeria in 2023.

She made the comment after the ruling party pegged its presidential nomination form at N100 million and that of the governorship at N50 million.

Edu was replying to Nigerians who felt the figures were too exorbitant, particularly for young people, even despite the APC announcing a 50 percent reduction in the price of nomination forms for individuals under 40 years of age.

‘EMBEZZLEMENT’ SAGA

All was going well for Edu until January 2 when Tinubu suspended Halima Shehu as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) over alleged financial malfeasance.

NSIPA is domiciled under the ministry of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation.

A few days later, a document from Edu to Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein, the accountant-general of the federation, directing the transfer of N585 million to an individual’s bank account, surfaced online.

The instruction for the payment is contained in a leaked letter dated December 20, 2023.

The letter, signed by the minister, was titled: “Mandate for Payment of Grant for Vulnerable Groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos and Ogun States Respectively.”

In the letter, Edu instructed the accountant-general to transfer N585,189,500 to the UBA account of one Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola.

The minister said the payment should be deducted from the account of the national investment office.

Reacting to the comments that trailed the leaked memo, Raheed Zubair, media aide to Edu, said the transaction followed “due process”. 

Zubair said Bridget, whose bank account was stated to receive the payment, is the project accountant for the Grants for Vulnerable Groups (GVG) scheme, and that it is “legal in civil service” for a project accountant to receive payments.

Edu also said there are attempts to tarnish her image. The minister added that integrity is her watchword, assuring Nigerians that no one will embezzle funds under her watch.

Some people and groups have called on Tinubu to suspend Edu and launch an investigation into the transaction.

WHAT ABOUT N200K FLIGHT FARE TO ‘AIRPORTLESS’ KOGI?

Nigerians were still trying to digest and make sense of government funds in a personal account when a fresh set of incriminating documents surfaced again.

The approval, contained in a leaked internal memo dated November 6, 2023, is for the disbursement of funds for flight tickets and airport taxis for the agency’s staff to travel to Kogi.

In the memo, the money is for the minister’s “advanced team” to travel by air for an event in Kogi. Each of the “advanced team” members, including aides, received the sum of N200,000 for flight tickets, N20,000 for airport taxi, and local running expenses and DTA depending on grade level – all amounting to N72,374,500.

But Kogi has no airport; so where are the officials flying or taxing to?

SQUANDERING INSUFFICIENT FUNDS?

In December, Edu told the national assembly that the N532.5 billion earmarked for the ministry in the proposed 2024 fiscal budget is not enough to fight poverty and cushion the effects of the rising inflation in the country.

After appealing to the national assembly for an upward review of the budget, the minister asked the lawmakers to hold her accountable for “full implementation of whatever is appropriated to our ministry”.

Will the lawmakers rise to this occasion and hold Edu to her word?

WILL IT GET BETTER FOR BETTA?

For a ministry that deals with the poorest of Nigerians, with a mandate to alleviate their sufferings and usher them out of extreme poverty, one would expect prudent use of resources, especially that of personnel. Will a humanitarian be found guilty of living large off the hands of the needy?

Rumours are making the rounds about an alleged vendetta against Edu. Be that the case or not, she should have no cause to worry if she is as innocent as she says. After all, the truth shall prevail, or so we hope.

Meanwhile, the PDP has asked Tinubu to sack Edu immediately, saying her stay in office is provocative.

The president has ordered a probe of the controversial payment.