President Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, replacing Dr. Betta Edu.
Tinubu suspended Edu in January and ordered a probe into the transfer of N585.2 million into the private bank account of a civil servant, who serves as the accountant in charge of grants for vulnerable Nigerians.
The president also directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to conduct a “thorough investigation” of all the ministry’s financial transactions. The investigation extended to the entire framework of Nigeria’s social investment programmes.
Edu has denied any wrongdoing. Her office stated at the time that she had approved the transfer into a personal account for the “implementation of grants to vulnerable groups.”
However, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation maintained that such funds were meant to be sent directly from government accounts to the beneficiaries.