Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has suspended Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Minister Dr. Betta Edu over an alleged diversion of over 585M Naira which is equivalent to $640K (approx. KSH. 101M) of public money into a personal bank account.
The 37-year-old Minister was suspended on Monday after the scandal causing public outrage. Following the suspension, President Tinubu has ordered an investigation into Dr. Edu’s Ministry.
However, Dr. Edu has denied any wrongdoing. She says she had approved the transfer into a personal account, which was not in her name, but said it was for the “implementation of grants to vulnerable groups”.
The scandal surfaced a week ago after a leaked document that allegedly showed Dr. Edu instructing a senior treasury official to transfer the money to the personal account of Bridget Oniyelu, an Accountant for the Government’s Grants for Vulnerable Groups initiative.

Reports that Dr. Edu had asked for the funds be moved to a personal account, rather than a government one, caused outrage.
President Tinubu has now asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for a thorough investigation into all aspects of the financial transactions involving the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
Dr. Edu who’s considered a close ally of President Tinubu is also the youngest in the Nigerian Cabinet. She now becomes the first Minister to be kicked out since Tinubu took power in May 2023.
His predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, sacked only two ministers during his eight-year tenure.