Fish Out Edu’s Accomplices, Phrank Shaibu Tells Tinubu

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Wednesday, January 10th, 2024

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – President Bola Tinubu should fish out the accomplices of suspended minister Betta Edu, Phrank Shaibu has said.

Shaibu, aide to ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, said the suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation caught in a disbursement scandal was commendable but not enough.

In a statement on Tuesday, Shaibu said that it was unfortunate that a programme that was designed to lift over 100 million Nigerians out of extreme poverty had become a cash cow for successive governments of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He said, “While Tinubu deserves commendation for suspending Edu, we believe this is a belated move. Firstly, he had no business appointing her as a minister of such a sensitive ministry in the first place. Tinubu put politics ahead of competence, hence this scandal. What experience did Betta have in the development sector?

“Betta Edu should not be the fall guy. Others who have remotely and wickedly benefitted from money that was meant for poor Nigerians ought to be fished out, probed, and prosecuted too. It is demonic and tendentiously wicked to steal in the name of the poor.”

Atiku’s aide said there was a need for the government to reform the humanitarian affairs ministry and other interventionist programmes.

He noted that the fact that the previous Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, was also being probed for N37bn fraud was evidence that immediate and urgent actions need to be taken to reform the ministry.