The camp of Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, has reacted to the alleged financial corruption scandal rocking the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
The Herald recalls that recently, a document indicates that the Minister, Betta Edu , allegedly disbursed N585,198,500.00 into a personal account.
According to the viral document signed by Edu directed to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Minister instructed the disbursement of N585,198,500.00 to one Oniyelu Bridget.
The document also showed that the payment of the N585.198 million grant, meant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun and Lagos states, was made into Oniyelu’s account.
Reacting, Daniel Bwala, a spokesman of Atiku in the election, took to social media to express outrage, contrasting the alleged incident with President Tinubu’s perceived anti-corruption stance. He further claimed the case is not isolated and hinted at widespread corruption across other ministries.
He said, “What has clearly distinguished @officialABAT from his predecessor @MBuhari is that President Tinubu does not look like one prepared to defend appointee caught with his/her hands in the cookie’s jar ( at least for now).
“But if anyone thinks this alleged corruption only exist in Humanitarian ministry, that person is clearly a comedian.
“There appears to be a determination cooked with a sense of urgency by some corrupt appointees to pounce on our commonwealth like a bulldog that has found the last borne on the planet earth.
“This is a national security threat.”
What has clearly distinguished @officialABAT from his predecessor @MBuhari is that President Tinubu does not look like one prepared to defend appointee caught with his/her hands in the cookie’s jar ( at least for now)
But if anyone thinks this alleged corruption only exist in…
— D. H Bwala (@BwalaDaniel) January 6, 2024
However, the Minister’s Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Rasheed Zubair, countered the accusations, claiming the N585 million payment followed proper procedures. He clarified that Oniyelu Bridget is the Project Accountant for Grants for Vulnerable Groups and received the funds on their behalf. Zubair maintained the grant was intended for its designated recipients in the four aforementioned states.
“For the avoidance, the said N585m was approved, and it is meant to implement grants to vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states.
“We must note that GVG was first launched in Kogi State, where recipients testified. Akwa Ibom and Cross River were launched in December 2023. Kogi already happened in November, and others will be launched in the coming weeks.
“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 the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation is implementing.
“Oniyelu Bridget is the Project Accountant for GVG from the Department of Finance, and it is legal in civil service for a staff, the project accountant, to be paid and use the same funds legally and retire the same with all receipts and evidence after the project or programme is completed”, he stated.