By Ihechimerem Enyinnaya
The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in last year’s general election, Peter Obi has urged the government to ensure that all those culpable in the scandal involving the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Ms Betta Edu are brought to book.
Obi said in a write-up in his X-handle platform that the government should go beyond the suspension of the Minister which he welcomes and carry out a comprehensive investigation into the matter by giving the problem of public sector corruption the severe urgency it deserves.
He expressed disappointment that a Ministry created in good faith to attend to the plight of the suffering masses is being turned into a conduit pipe to steal from the poor as seen in the current and previous Ministers of the Ministry.
“I like to add my voice with most Nigerians concerned about accountability in government and judicious use of public funds, to welcome the suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Ms. Betta Edu, and subsequent directives for her investigation.
“While the action of the government is a welcome development, the investigation must be comprehensive so that all those culpable are brought to book.
The LP leader warned against taking the issue lightly “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 being investigated for a whopping N37bn misappropriation. 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, the ruling elites can shamelessly convert, divert, or misappropriate such huge sums meant for the poor can 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 steal from the poor.
“I call 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.