The plans to tarnish my image will fail – Betta Edu breaks silence

The controversy unfolded after a leaked document surfaced, revealing an alleged disbursement of ₦585,198,500.00 into a personal account linked to the minister.

The leaked letter, dated December 20, 2023, bore the title "Mandate for Payment of Grant for Vulnerable Groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos, and Ogun States Respectively."

It was purportedly signed by Minister Edu, instructing the Accountant-General to transfer the mentioned sum to a UBA account belonging to one Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola.

In response to the public outcry triggered by the leaked document, Minister Edu took to Twitter to defend her actions and deny any wrongdoing.

She stated the principles of integrity and accountability as the guiding ethos of her leadership in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

"Under my watch in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, no one will embezzle Government funds as before. The plans to tarnish the image of this administration, my person, or the Ministry will amount to nothing," Edu declared in her post.

The leaked document, addressed to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, outlined the minister's explicit instructions for the disbursement of ₦585,198,500.00 to a private account. It detailed that the funds were designated for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states.

President Bola Tinubu has demanded a thorough probe of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made this known in a statement on Sunday, January 07, 2024.