In perhaps an unprecedented occurrence within federal officialdom in Nigeria, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, has been enmeshed in a high-powered war of words with the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Dr Oluwatoyin Madein, over the Minister’s alleged moves to place grants for vulnerable groups (GVG), to the tune of 585 million naira, in a specific individual account.
The Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), who spoke over the weekend, faulted Minister Edu’s alleged order to the Office of the AGF to pay the amount of N585 million in grants to vulnerable groups into the account of an individual.
Madein made the revelation while reacting to a controversy ignited by a leaked memo from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, approving payment of N585,189,500.00 in Renewed Hope GVGs meant for beneficiaries in four states, through the account of one Oniyelu Bridget, known to be a close associate of the Minister.
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Minister Betta Edu, Rasheed Olanrewaju Zubair, had in a statement on Friday defended the payment of the funds to the account of the said Oniyelu Bridget, whom who he described as the “project accountant for the GVG”.
Said Zubair: “The general public is invited to note that the Renewed Hope Grant for Vulnerable Groups is one of the social intervention schemes of the federal government, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
“Oniyelu Bridget is the Project Accountant for GVG from the Department of Finance and it is legal in the civil service for a staff, the Project accountant to be paid and use same funds legally and retire same with all receipts and evidence after the project or Program is completed,” Zubair said in the statement.
However, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) pushed back against those claims at the weekend, while decrying the order for bulk payment of the GVG fund into an individual’s account, as ordered by Minister Edu.
Madein said such payment should be sent directly to the beneficiaries through their respective, verified bank accounts.
The AGF also insisted that it does not make payments on behalf of MDAs for projects and programmes implemented by the MDAs, as insinuated in the memo.
In a statement issued by Bawa Mokwa, Director of Press in the OAGF, on behalf of the Accountant General, the latter explained that although her Office received the said request from the Ministry to make the payment into the individual account believed to belong to the said Oniyelu Bridget, her Office did not eventually execute the Order nor carry out the payment.
The AGF, however, said her Office advised the Ministry on the appropriate steps to take in making such payments, in line with the established payment procedures.
“The AGF noted that in such situations, payments are usually processed by the affected Ministries as self-accounting entities and no bulk payment is supposed to be made to an individual’s account in the name of the Project Accountant.
Madein said such payment should be sent directly to the beneficiaries through their verified bank accounts.
According to Mokwa’s statement, “Dr. Madein reiterated her determination to uphold the principles of accountability and transparency in the management of public finances.
“She advised MDAs to always ensure that the requisite steps are taken in carrying out financial transactions”, the statement said.
In her reaction to the burgeoning controversy in a Facebook post, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, called the allegations against her “baseless” and “an attempt to undermine the efforts we are making to fight corruption and uplift those in need. She also decried an alleged attempt by “mischief makers” to undermine her ministry’s effort in “fighting corruption”.
In her reaction, Edu further said: “I am writing to address recent news circulating about alleged fraud within the Ministry of Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation.
“As the minister, I want to assure you that these claims are baseless and an attempt to undermine the efforts we are making to fight corruption and uplift those in need.
“In the course of our work, we have encountered resistance from forces whose hands may not be clean, but I want to emphasize that our commitment to transparency, accountability, and eradicating corruption remains unwavering.
“The challenges we face only strengthen our resolve to serve with integrity and dedication.
In a related development, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged the embattled Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, to tender her resignation so she can submit herself to investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission investigations over the GVG scandal.
The group emphasized the letter of the public sector financial regulations of 2009, which prohibits the payment of public funds to the account of a private individual.
HURIWA especially noticed that it would be hypocritical that the president suspended the head of the social investment coordinating office (NSIPA), over allegations of paying public funds worth over N34 billion into private accounts, as alleged by the EFCC, only for the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to go public with a justification for directing that public funds be paid into a private account controlled by a single individual.
The body urged the President and the EFCC to use the best global practice in the enforcement of the country’s anti-graft laws, since those laws should not be made to favour individuals because they are top officials in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).