Nigerians want Betta Edu sacked

The majority of Nigerians who participated in an online poll want President Bola Tinubu to sack Betta Edu, the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs.

More than 60 per cent of the respondents who took part in the poll by PREMIUM TIMES believe that the president should sack Ms Edu whose ministry is currently being investigated for financial impropriety.

Mr Tinubu suspended Ms Edu in January because she ordered the transfer of N585.2 million into the private bank account of a civil servant, who is the accountant in charge of grants for Vulnerable Nigerians.

The president also asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to carry out a “thorough investigation” of all the ministry’s financial transactions.” The investigation extended to the entire framework of Nigeria’s social investment programmes.

Ms Edu, 37, has denied any wrongdoing. Her office said she had approved the transfer into a personal account for the “implementation of grants to vulnerable groups.”

The office of the Accountant General of the Federation said at the time that such funds were meant to be sent directly from government accounts to the beneficiaries.

Chapter Seven of Section 713 of Nigeria’s Financial Regulations 2009 states that “Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private account.”

It also added that “Any officer who pays public money into a private account is deemed to have done so with fraudulent intention.”

The Poll

The poll was run across PREMIUM TIMES’ website, official Facebook and X handle (formerly Twitter).

The voters were asked a single question: “Humanitarian Ministry Scandal: Should President Tinubu sack Minister Betta Edu?”

The options given are as follows:

Yes

No

 I don’t care

Results

On the website, 1,000 people participated in the poll and the majority of them said they want the president to sack the minister. Of the 1,000 people who voted, 61.3 per cent (or 613) voted in favour of the president sacking Ms Edu. About 24.9 per cent (249) said No while 13.8 per cent (138) said they don’t care.

On X, 2,862 people voted. At least 56.3 per cent voted Yes, 26.2 per cent said No, while 17.4 per cent said they don’t care.

Meanwhile, on Facebook, 606 people voted, out of which 74 per cent voted Yes, 15 per cent voted No, and 11 per cent said they don’t care.

In replying to the opinion poll on X, a user named Emmanuel said, “I am from Cross River but I frankly don’t care about this opinion poll. Let the EFCC do their job. If she is found guilty, let her face the music. If she is innocent, let her be reinstated. However, let Tinubu also do this to all erring ministers and not just Betta.”

READ ALSO: Alleged Fraud: Nigerians react to suspension of humanitarian affairs minister Betta Ed

Pius Osang, another user, believes that: “President Tinubu needs Dr Betta, she is one of the best Ministers in his cabinet. She will come back stronger, bigger and bolder.”

“This administration needs someone as vibrant, sound and engaging who’s really ready to carry out any task in eradicating poverty from the nation as Dr. Betta Edu who’s heading the ministry from the front end unlike other ministries. She’s clearly living up to expectations,” another X user, Larushi, wrote.

President Bola Tinubu came to power last year promising to crack down on graft in Nigeria. Within a month of his inauguration, he suspended the head of the EFCC indefinitely for abuse of office.

His government said the suspension follows his commitment “to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency and accountability” in how Nigeria’s resources are managed.

Meanwhile, Ms Edu’s predecessor, Sadiya Farouq, is also being investigated for alleged corruption in the disbursement of public funds during her time as minister. Ms Farouq said on social media that she was going to “offer clarifications in respect of some issues that the commission is investigating.”