The Betta Edu and Related Cases, Mr. Peter Obi has applauded the action of the government for the suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Betta Edu, and subsequent directives for her investigation.
While commending the action of the government, Obi said the investigation must be comprehensive so that all those culpable are brought to book.
Obi said the suspension of the Minister should not be a window-dressing action but should be a peg to get at all those who are deserving of blame and punished just like the Minister. By a sad coincidence, the alleged fraudulent diversion of N585 million of public money by Ms. Edu broke almost at the same moment that the Minister who held the same portfolio in the last administration is is being investigated for a whopping N37 billion misappropriation.
According to Obi, “The Ministry may have been created by the system as a conduit pipe to siphon public funds while using the poor as a face. Equally worrisome and disgusting is the fact that the missing funds are meant for poverty alleviation in a time of severe suffering among the people.Unfortunately, a ruling elite that can shamelessly convert, divert, or misappropriate such huge sums meant for the poor cannot be trusted to address the severe poverty ravaging the people.
“It is not only immoral but also insensitive for those entrusted with funds for public welfare to literally steal from the poor.”
He called on the administration to use these cases to initiate a thorough system-wide and systematic investigation of all reported cases of fraud and corruption among high government officials in the country.
