Dr Don Clem Enamhe, a Public Affairs Analyst and Lecturer at the University of Calabar has claimed that the suspended Humanitarian Minister, Betta Edu did not divert the N585m as presumed.
Enamhe made the claim during a recent interview with Arise TV, saying that Edu signed off the N585m following the procedure and forwarded it to the permanent secretary.
He further stated that the internal auditors within the ministry should have detected irregularities and flagged a concern related to the transaction.
The analyst clarified that the mentioned amount was not diverted but allocated to an accountant within the ministry, dispelling attempts to redirect public attention from this matter.
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He conveyed that the Minister having undergone leadership training, appointed Mrs Bridget from the accountant general’s office as the accountant.
He also stated that to ensure adherence to proper procedures, Edu sought approval from the Accountant General’s office for financial transactions.
According to him, the conventional practice of officers diverting funds for specific projects had changed, with even assistant directors needing official approval.
He said:
“Betta Edu has had leadership training over time, she has an accountant posted from the accountant general’s office which is Mrs. Bridget. She went all the way to get approval from the Accountant general’s office. I hope you know it’s not as it used to be, officers from the rank of assistant director can afford to get money sent to their private account to run specific projects. And that was what the minister did. And assuming that was not in line with the procedure.
“When the minister signed, she sent it to the permanent secretary. There are internal auditors there, they knew something was wrong and they went ahead to flag it. The N585M was not diverted, she gave it to a sitting accountant in the ministry. And then we are trying to divert public attention from this.”
