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A coalition of ten (10) rights organizations under the aegis of Civil Society Groups Against Defamation Initiative, CSGADI, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to promptly reinstate Dr. Betta Edu, the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, should the ongoing investigations exonerate her from any wrongdoing.
The call came amid the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) thorough inquiry into suspicious financial activities within the ministry and its sub-parastatals.
The investigation centres primarily on fund transactions that occurred before Dr. Edu’s tenure began, raising concerns over narratives linking her to the alleged corruption.
The Chairman of the Niger-Delta Peace Initiative, Peter Asuquo Bassey, speaking on behalf of the coalition during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, asserted that the ministry’s questionable transactions should not be conflated with Dr. Edu’s administration.
He noted that such misrepresentation was not only unfair but also served to unjustly tarnish her image; stressing that Dr. Edu had, in fact, questioned the transfer of over N40 billion Naira, which had been approved before her arrival.
“Once Dr. Edu requested more clarifications, all hell broke loose,” Bassey explained, highlighting the resistance she encountered from entrenched interests within the ministry.
Moreover, the coalition clarified that Dr. Edu neither owns the private account implicated in the N585 million controversy nor is she a signatory to it.