Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has called for the resignation of Betta Edu as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, News About Nigeria reports.
He made this call on Sunday, stating that the minister had demeaned and betrayed the confidence Nigerians had in her and was no longer worthy to head the ministry.
This is coming after Betta debunked claims that she is involved in a N585 million fraud, describing the allegations as unfounded and aimed at destroying her reputation.
Recall that the minister had faced severe backlash on Friday over a viral memo directing the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer N585 million to a private account belonging to Oniyelu Bridget, who is the Project Accountant for Grants for Vulnerable Groups.
Falana, however, noted that Betta approved the payment of over half a billion Naira to a private account, which is in contravention of the existing Public Service Rules as well as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Act (ICPC) and the Penal Code applicable in the Federal Capital Territory.
He further stated that instead of asking the minister to apologise to the Federal Government and the people of Nigeria and resign from her position, she rather stated arrogantly that the N585.18 million fraud allegation was a mere fabrication by her detractors and an alleged attempt to undermine the effort of her ministry in fighting corruption and uplifting the needy.
He therefore urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to hasten its investigations of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and also ensure it charges all indicted persons before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory as soon as possible.
