Humanitarian Affairs Minister Writes Accountant General, Directs Payment Of Public Funds Into Private Account

The private account belongs to Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola, identified as a project manager by the minister.

Dr Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation asked the Accountant General of the Federation, Mrs Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein to send public funds to a private account, according to a letter obtained by SaharaReporters.


The Minister and Letter sent for transfer


The private account belongs to Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola, identified as a project manager by the minister.

A letter from the minister with reference number: FMHAPA/HQ/OHM/S.208 to the Accountant General of the Federation, Mrs Madein dated December 20, 2023, asked that over N585 million should be sent to a private account.

The letter signed by the minister, Dr Edu, is titled ‘Mandate for Payment of Grant for Vulnerable Groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Lagos and Ogun States Respectively’.

It reads, “I hereby approve the payment of the cumulative sum of five hundred and eighty-five million, one hundred and eighty-nine thousand, five hundred naira (N585,189,500.00). These are payments for programmes and activities of the Renewed Hope Grant for Vulnerable Groups.”

The details show that N219,429,750.00 was for 2023 Grant for Vulnerable Groups in Akwa Ibom State; N73,828,750.00 was for 2023 Grant for Vulnerable Groups in Cross River State; N219,462,250.00 was for 2023 Grant for Vulnerable Groups in Lagos State while N72,468,750.00 was for 2023 Grant for Vulnerable Groups in Ogun State.

The letter said the payment of N585,189,500.00 –the total sum – should be made to a UBA account: 2003682151 belonging to Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola.

“This payment should be made from the National Social Investment Officer account with account number: 0020208461037 to the Project Accountant’s details listed above,” it added.

Sources told SaharaReporters that a system that allows the Accountant General of the Federation to send public funds into private accounts based on requests by ministers encourages corruption.

“If a minister can ask the Accountant General of the Federation to move public funds into a private account and the AGF will do it, then it is no wonder the last AGF stole plenty of money,” a source said.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting former Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris and Geoffrey Akindele alongside Mohammed Usman and Gezawa Commodity Market & Exchange Limited on charges of fraudulent diversion of public funds to the tune of N109.5 million.

Idris and Akindele were accused of committing criminal breach of trust while being entrusted with certain property, to wit N84,390,000,000 between February and November 2021 by “dishonestly receiving the said amount from the Federal Government through Godfrey Olusegun Akindele, trading under the name and style of Olusegun Akindele & Co”.

As a public servant, Idris was also accused of collecting an equivalent of N15.1 million from Akindele between February and December 2021 to accelerate the payment of 13 per cent derivation to nine oil-rich states in the country through the Office of the AGF.

Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that it exclusively obtained documents showing how the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) moved N226,188,500 million to Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo states through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation ahead of the November 11, 2023 governorship elections.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) held governorship elections in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa states on November 11, 2023.

In the election characterised by irregularities including vote-buying thuggery and pre-recorded results, APC candidates were declared victorious in Imo and Kogi states while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate and incumbent Governor of Bayelsa State secured re-election.

However, documents SaharaReporters obtained on Thursday show that the funds were moved to the states on November 4 and 6 respectively in the name of providing palliatives for indigent and underprivileged people.

But government sources told SaharaReporters that the funds were mobilised to the states days before the elections to buy votes under the cover providing funds for vulnerable people in the states.

“It was all a ruse to buy votes for APC and their candidates in the elections using the programme for vulnerable people as cover; that was why the events were done a few days before the governorship elections in the three states,” one of the sources said.

A breakdown of the disbursement of the funds shows that N72,374,500 was moved to Kogi State on November 6, 2023, through the Director of Finance Account, National Social Investment Agency, just five days before the governorship election.

Also on November 6, the ministry approved and moved N72,423,250 million to Bayelsa State under the ministry's 2023 grant for vulnerable groups programmes.

On November 3, 2023, a total of N81,390,750 million was moved to Imo State under the same guise of providing grants to vulnerable groups, just seven days before the governorship election.

According to the documents, the Minster of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Edu personally approved the moving of the funds to the three states.

On October 31, 2023, the Nigerian House of Representatives summoned Edu to brief the chamber on the status of the federal government’s conditional cash transfer programme to 15 million households.

In a motion of urgent public importance, the House expressed concern over the handling of the programme, citing a lack of transparency and alleged fraudulent practices.

The lawmakers asked the minister to provide details on the collation of data and the distribution of funds.

President Bola Tinubu launched the conditional cash transfer programme in October as part of his efforts to address poverty and vulnerability in the country. The programme aims to provide monthly cash transfers of N25,000 to each of the 15 million beneficiary households for three months.

The invitation of the minister by the House comes amid reports of irregularities in the program’s implementation, including allegations that some beneficiaries had been excluded while others had been paid multiple times.

The lawmakers asked the minister to provide details on the collation of data and the distribution of funds.

However, efforts to reach the minister failed as she did not answer calls from SaharaReporters. She also did not reply to text messages sent to her mobile line.

https://saharareporters.com/2024/01/05/tinubus-humanitarian-affairs-minister-writes-accountant-general-directs-payment-public

Nlfpmod

Sahara reporters again

This is very wrong and unacceptable. In fact, it screams of fraud.

I can excuse the minister’s ignorance in approving this kind of memo that violates laid down procedures for payment in federal public service, what I’m still shocked at is the fact that the Accountant General who made the rules and should know better actually honored the approval and made the payment.

ICPC should immediately place a PND on the account and investigate all outflows from the account for possible fraudulent diversion of public funds . The Accountant General and the honorable Minister should be sanctioned in accordance with extant regulations.

For emphasis, paragraph 3(iv) of the attached federal treasury circular clearly prohibits payment of public funds into the account of any staff under the guise of project Accountant. The program is expected to have an approved account domiciled with CBN from which and disbursement are made.

This woman is fraud, small thing she will run enter TV station and be talking chocho. She want to embezze remaining npower beneficiary fund.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm ...............
The tank has been burst open in the Ministry of Humanitarian office,as the saying goes these days, no gree for anybody.
I really really like Madam Minister Edu,I believe her ministry is one that must succeed if there will be a dent on poverty in Nigeria.
From her different activities around Nigeria,she has one character that's Allen to most Nigerian Politicans,and it's empathy.
Even if she's pretending in front of the cameras she acts like someone who's genuinely concerned about the very poor people in Nigeria.
Back to the matter,I was a bit miffed when a madam secretary in an agency under her ministry was alleged to have moved 17 Billion and was picked up for questioning.
I was shocked Madam Minister claimed she wasn't aware of the movement of the money,that action alone should have got her a query.
How can a subordinate under a Minister allegedly move 17 Billion and she wasn't aware,it shows she's not in charge of that Ministry.
Now the pipes of corruption in the Ministry have began to be burst open,Oga Director for Finance is singing like a canary to EFCC and I'm sure he's the one exposing all the movement and Waka Waka of money in the Ministry.
For Madam Minister, I pray she's able to overcome this storm, she's an asset to Nigeria,she's young,a professional,a woman and very intelligent,she represents the next set of leaders that will eventually rule Nigeria,I really hope she's not tainted by all.these allegations.
Before I sign out,I always wonder why the other Madam in charge of Creative Economy is so quiet,pls someone should tell that Minister there's a lot of work for her to do for Nigerian Youths In Nigeria and the diaspora.
There's a reason why that ministry has Economy attached to it,I barely see or hear anything from her,I won't be suprised if she's relieved of her duties in the first batch of Ministers Asiwaju will sack.
Let her even show some gragra to Nigerian Youths.
God bless Nigeria.

Tinubu's Achievements in 7 months:
- Fuel Subsidy Removal
- Hike in Electricity Tariff
- Hike in University Tuition Fees
- Inflation Doubled
- Kidnapping & Banditry Continues
- Foreign Loan Continues
- Devaluation of Naira Continues
- Poverty & Unemployment Continues
- Public Funds Embezzlement continues
- Lies & Deceptions Continues.

"This payment should be made from the National Social Investment Officer account with account number: 0020208461037 to the Project Accountant’s details listed above,” it added.

From the above, it shows that the payment has always been made to the National Social Investment Officers private account but this time around she directed it to be paid to the project Accountant which to me is to ensure accountability. Mind you, the ministry is under probe and the National Social Investment Officer might have been indicted.

What men can do women can do better!
This is just too early for this Monumental scandals in a government that is barely 7 months old. What will come happen after 4 years? Nothing will be left again!
The honourable thing to do is to suspend the minister Beta Edu (who don see beta and chop) from office to allow for unbiased and holistic investigations . Anything other than that is clear witchunt of the other Northern woman who is being suspended from NSIP.
What is good for the goose, is also good for the gander!
This will serve as litmus test for the government's anti-corruption fight.

Chinjo2:
"This payment should be made from the National Social Investment Officer account with account number: 0020208461037 to the Project Accountant’s details listed above,” it added.

From the above, it shows that the payment has always been made to the National Social Investment Officers private account but this time around she directed it to be paid to the project Accountant which to me is to ensure accountability. Mind you, the ministry is under probe and the National Social Investment Officer might have been indicted.

The part in bold is absolute nonsense. Read the FG circular guiding the operation of project accounts that I posted above. This is a very clear case of fraud and the minister and AGF must both be sanctioned.