By Frank Ulom
Youths in the northern part of Nigeria have stated that suspended Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Minister, Dr Betta Edu, deserved reinstatement for exposing corruption and saving the nation N44 billion.
The youths under the aegis, Northern Youth Coalition For Good Governance stated this weekend, adding that Edu has the zeal, dexterity, and energy to execute President Bola Tinubu’s mandate of pulling millions of vulnerable Nigerians out of poverty.
The civil society group in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Abdullahi Ibrahim Maikudi, also commended the president for his swift action on the matter, stating that “So far so good, no missing or stolen money has been traced to the suspended Minister and even as the anti-graft agency is investigating the alleged fraud in her ministry, they have not found her wanting, she deserves to be reinstated.”
The Coalition while applauding President Tinubu’s determination to rid the country of pernicious corruption, nonetheless urged him to handle Edu’s case with an absolute sense of justice and fairness.
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“In order not to send the wrong signal to the effect that she is being punished because she is a woman or because she exposed wanton corruption and saved the nation’s financial resources to the tune of N44bn from being diverted.
“Dr Edu is an exceptional young lady, she is a patriot and means well for our country. But for her vigilance, patriotism, honesty, and integrity, N44bn of our common patrimony would have gone into private pockets without a trace.
“We believe that she should be patted on the back and not rewarded with suspension.
“Knowing Mr President as a listening and fair-minded leader, we appeal to him to hearken to the yearning of millions of Nigerians who have felt Dr Edu’s impact at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
“We do not doubt, therefore, that Mr President will do the right thing very soon,” the statement further read.
CONVERSERR reports that Tinubu suspended Edu on the 8th of January 2024, over allegations bordering on the withdrawal of N585 million from the ministry’s account into a private account.