Presidential spokesperson Mr. Bayo Onanuga has said that suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction Betta Edu has been formally relieved of her ministerial duties after President Bola Tinubu’s recent cabinet shuffle.
He said this during an appearance in Sunday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
This announcement ended months of conjecture that she might be reinstated to her former position.
Tinubu suspended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, from office, over an alleged N585m scandal in the Ministry.
The President also directed Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to conduct a thorough investigation into all aspects of the financial transactions involving the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, as well as one or more agencies thereunder.
Onanuga said on Edu’s permanent exit: “I think there is another person from Cross River in the cabinet. Betta Edu is gone. Don’t forget that she was suspended in January, and this is October.
“No, she is gone. Her position has been taken over by someone else — that’s the man from Plateau (Nentawe) who is now assuming the role. For this government, there is no place for her in the cabinet.”
Onanuga added: “The EFCC has not shared whatever they have, but if you consider the president’s action, it suggests that the EFCC may have submitted something that justified the president’s decision.”