The alleged financial corruption scandal involving the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation continues to unfold. A document has surfaced claiming that the Minister, Betta Edu, disbursed N585,198,500.00 into a personal account belonging to Oniyelu Bridget. This payment was supposedly a grant meant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states.
The Minister’s spokesperson, Rasheed Zubair, defended the payment, stating that it followed due process and that Oniyelu Bridget serves as the Project Accountant of Grants for Vulnerable Groups. The spokesperson clarified that the funds were approved for the purpose of implementing grants for vulnerable groups in the mentioned states.
The Renewed Hope Grant for Vulnerable Groups is a social intervention program implemented by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in Nigeria. The Project Accountant for GVG, Oniyelu Bridget, explained that it is legal for a staff member to be paid and use the funds as long as they can provide evidence and receipts after the completion of the project.
However, this has caused controversy as it is against public sector financial regulations to pay public funds into a private individual’s account. This comes after the suspension of the National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, Halima Shehu, over alleged financial misappropriation. The EFCC has also frozen N30 billion related to the agency’s accounts and has invited a former Minister of the Ministry, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, for questioning regarding a financial scandal involving a contractor, James Okwete.
