Tinubu fires minister for allegedly funding personal bank account

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu has been suspended by Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu Ahmed, for allegedly crediting a private bank account with over 585 million naira in late December 2023.

According to the BBC, Edu was suspended with immediate effect by the President who asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to conduct a thorough investigation into all aspects of the financial transactions involving her ministry.

This comes at the time when fuel subsidies were removed, plunging the country into huge economic difficulties resulting in unemployment in the country – a situation the President had promised to eradicate during his election.

Dr Edu has denied any wrongdoing and her office has said she had approved the transfer into a personal account, which was not in her name, but said it was for the “implementation of grants to vulnerable groups”.