The Return Of Betta Edu: Another Madness From The Tinubu Government?

 

When unconfirmed news filtered in that the EFCC had cleared the embattled and suspended minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, only a handful of knowledgeable Nigerians must have been shocked. And this has nothing to do with the already blemished reputation of the young and enterprising lady, but simply because this is Nigeria, the country where the biggest impunities are committed without consequences. 

 That the EFCC had cleared this undeniably gorgeous looking poster girl of the APC was not the big news. The big one, which has indeed stunned even the most unrepentant pessimists of the new Nigeria project, is the shocker that Betta Edu is likely to be sneaked back into the Cabinet when and if the President finally goes ahead with his long overdue Cabinet reshuffle. Even to those who have long given up on the Tinubu administration, they probably did not see this one coming. ‘This can only happen in Nigeria,’ many have remarked since the news broke. 

 It is unclear yet how the FG panel that investigated the corruption charges against her went about its duties. Also unclear is the identity of those members of the panel saddled with the responsibility of finding out the truth about the corruption allegations levelled against the suspended minister. The former minister was suspended in January 2024 over the alleged diversion of more than N585 million ($640,000; £500,000) of public money into a personal bank account.

Edu was also named in the alleged siphoning the over N3bn from the NSIPA account using various fraudulent schemes such as inflating the number of beneficiaries, paying ghost workers, awarding contracts to fake companies and diverting funds to personal accounts. Also, a leaked memo dated December 20, 2023, exposed another multimillion-naira scandal involving Dr Edu. She allegedly approved funds for flight tickets and airport taxis for her advanced team to travel for an event in Kogi; a state with no airport.

The news which claims the EFCC had cleared Betta Edu reads in parts: “Unconfirmed reports have it that an unnamed Presidential Aide, piled pressures on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to clear former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, so she can be represented as a Ministerial nominee in the planned cabinet shakeup. This report, awaits official confirmation. .”

 It reads further:”The EFCC clean bill is what has informed the pressure on President Tinubu to return Edu as Minister as he prepares to announce a change of cabinet. Although insiders said the President has made his final decisions not to return Edu but mounting pressures from close aides and even the First Lady are still ongoing…” .

 

Now, as Nigerians are waiting with bated breaths to see if this speculated return of this 'big babe' who spent money like it was going into extinction while in office will come to pass, the questions on the lips of many are: has the Bola Tinubu government finally lost it? Why would a government struggling with the question of credibility and sickening corruption allegations tearing it's administration apart bring back an individual whose pretty manicured fingers were caught right inside the cookie jar whilst stealing from it? How does this madness help the Bola Tinubu government's already battered image? What kind of confidence do they expect the people to have in such government? It is so hard to imagine how this can possibly pan out well for the president and his ruling party.

 Many are still hoping this purported recklessness from the government will not come to fruition. A lot are hoping the speculations are nothing but the figment of somebody's imagination. But many of her admirers who claim their pretty Cinderella girl had a phenomenal stint as a former Commissioner for Health, Cross River state, are confident she will make a strong comeback to the Tinubu administration. They are trusting the president to give her 'a second chance' so she can continue a lot of the laudable things she started while in office. After all, they insist, 'everyone deserves a second chance.'

 Nigerians are watching. Nigerians are waiting to see if Mr. President will bow to pressure from the Betta Edu camp and allow this madness go through....