The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has issued a threat to take legal action against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu if he neglects to investigate the alleged transfer of N585,189,500.00 into a private account by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu. This information was disclosed by Kolawole Oluwadare, the Deputy Director of SERAP, in a statement on Sunday.
Betta Edu had confirmed the disbursement of N585,189,500.00, intended for vulnerable individuals in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos, and Ogun states, into a private account. Despite Edu’s assertion that the payment adhered to due process, SERAP argued that her actions violated Chapter 7, Section 713 of the Federal Government’s Financial Regulations 2009, which stipulates, ‘Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private account.’
In response, SERAP called on Tinubu to instruct the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, and relevant anti-corruption agencies to promptly and thoroughly conduct an investigation. The organization emphasized that if the recommended measures were not taken within 7 days, it would consider pursuing appropriate legal actions to compel the government to comply with the request in the public interest.
It’s worth noting that the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, had stated that Edu was not supposed to deposit N585,198,500.00 into a private account.