In a significant cabinet reshuffle, President Bola Tinubu has appointed Nentawe Yilwatda as the new Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, replacing Betta Edu, who remains suspended over allegations of financial misconduct.
Edu was suspended in January following a scandal involving the transfer of ₦585 million to a private account. The president had ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the financial dealings of the humanitarian ministry and its social investment programmes. The EFCC later disclosed that it recovered ₦30 billion during the probe and placed 50 bank accounts under investigation.
Edu denied any wrongdoing, stating that the funds were transferred to facilitate grants to vulnerable groups. However, the Accountant General’s Office insisted that such payments should have been made directly from government accounts to beneficiaries, raising further questions about the transaction’s legitimacy.
In Wednesday’s cabinet shake-up, Tinubu not only replaced Edu but also dismissed five other ministers, appointed seven new ones, and reassigned ten to new portfolios. Yilwatda’s appointment puts an end to speculation about Edu’s potential return to the cabinet. The newly appointed ministers will undergo screening and confirmation by the Senate.
This reshuffle follows earlier action by Tinubu in suspending Halima Shehu, the former head of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), for alleged financial mismanagement. After Shehu’s suspension, all NSIPA programs were temporarily halted for six weeks to facilitate investigations.
With Yilwatda’s appointment, Tinubu aims to restore confidence in the ministry and signal a fresh approach to managing Nigeria’s poverty alleviation efforts.
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