How Accountant General Exposed Betta Edu’s N585m Scam

iexclusivenews – A scandal involving the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, has been exposed by the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein.

The AGF revealed that the minister tried to divert N585,189,500.00 meant for vulnerable groups into a personal account.

The Viral Document

A document that went viral on social media showed that Dr. Betta Edu personally signed and directed the Office of the AGF to pay the funds to one Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola.

The document claimed that the payment was a grant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun and Lagos states. However, the document also showed that the payment was made into Oniyelu’s personal account, raising suspicions of fraud.

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The Minister’s Defense

In a bid to defend herself, Dr Betta Edu issued a statement through her Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Rasheed Zubair, on Friday. Zubair said that the payment for the vulnerable group was done according to due process.

He explained that Oniyelu was the Project Accountant of Grants for Vulnerable Groups and that was why the payment was made into her account.

The AGF’s Response

However, the AGF debunked the minister’s claim and said that she did not approve the payment. She said that it was not her duty to make payments for projects and programs on behalf of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

She said that her Office only releases allocations to self-accounting MDAs based on the budget and that the MDAs are responsible for the implementation and payment of their projects.

The AGF also said that her Office received the request from the ministry but did not execute it. She said that the ministry was advised on the proper steps to make such payments in accordance with the established payment procedure.

She said that such payments should not be made in bulk to an individual’s account in the name of Project Accountant. She said that such payments should be sent to the beneficiaries through their verified bank accounts.

The AGF reaffirmed her commitment to uphold the principles of accountability and transparency in the management of public finances.

She advised MDAs to always follow the required steps in carrying out financial transactions.

She said that her Office would not tolerate any attempt to misuse public funds.