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Ethnic Nationality Group Kicks Against Reinstatement of Betta Edu as Humanitarian Affairs Minister

The Ethnic Nationality Group of Nigeria (ENGN) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reject calls for the reinstatement of Dr. Betta Edu as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
According to a press statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Thursday, ENGN Convener and Spokesperson, Comrade Emmanuel Joseph, and Alhaji Nurudeen Batseris cited Dr. Edu’s alleged involvement in high-profile corruption cases, nepotism, and lopsided appointments during her brief tenure.
According to the group Leaders, Edu’s actions contradicted President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which promises to end poverty and corruption.
While urging President Tinubu to probe Dr. Edu and make findings public, they emphasized that reinstating the suspended Minister would undermine the administration’s anti-corruption efforts, and as such the president should treat the case of Edu thesame way Halima Shehu was treated to ensure fairness to all region of the country.
“Nigeria is facing multidimensional challenges with devastating effect on governance and the well being of Nigerians. One of the major and invasive challenges bedeviling our country is corruption. It has become ingrained in our psyche that many Nigerians do not see anything wrong with it.
“The fact that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu promised to but an end corruption in Nigeria during his presidential campaigns endeared many Nigerians to him. The massive votes he got and his staunch anti-corruption posture have proved to Nigerians that he has both the political will and capacity to permanently end corruption in the country.
“It is based on Mr. President’s proven track record of combatting corruption, including the immediate sack and prosecution of corrupt officials like former Central Bank Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as well as our firm conviction that he will not jeopardize the integrity of his administration, that we have invited you here to voice our strong opposition to plans by a few selfish elements for the reinstatement of Dr. Beta Edu as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
“Ladies and gentlemen, you don’t need to be reminded that Dr. Beta Edu, the former All Progressive Congress (APC) National Women Leader who was appointed as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was sacked barely six (6) months in office following high profile cases of corruption running into billions of naira and other unwholesome acts including nepotism and lopsided appointments at the Ministry while she held sway.
“Her behaviour was in stack contrast to the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration which promised to offer succour to Nigerians and end poverty in the land. By diverting funds meant for the vulnerable, Betta Edu clearly pitched her tent with the enemies of the country and does not deserve to be given another opportunity regardless of the outcome of her investigation.
“Dr. Betta Edu came into office with a clear mandate and that was to accumulate as much money as possible for her Governorship ambition in Cross River State. For instance, even with her short stay in office, Dr. Beta was complicit in several financial scandals including the siphoning of ₦3bn from the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) into personal accounts of her proxies and other fraudulent schemes.
“Her involvement in the diversion of ₦585.189m meant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun and Lagos States into her private account shows how heartless and inhumane she was as a supposed Humanitarian Affairs Minister. Reappointing her under guise is akin to licensing her excesses and empowering her to impoverish more vulnerable Nigerians through her endemic corrupt schemes and greed.
“In total disregard for federal character principles and in a bid to plant stooges in strategic locations to advance her fraudulent enterprises, Dr. Beta Edu was notorious for the appointment of her cronies as heads of non-existent projects.
“The appointment of one Olubunmi Bello as the National Coordinator of the Community and Social Development Programme (CSDP), a defunct $415m World Bank-funded intervention project that was launched in 2009 and officially closed in June, 2021 and that of one Richard Romanus as the National Programme Manager of the Youth Empowerment and Social Support Operations (YESSO); another defunct World Bank-supported projects are just few examples.
“The embattled former Minister was also heavily involved in other unwholesome activities which were at cross purposes with the vision of the current administration.
“The bizarre and mysterious approval of funds for flight tickets and airport taxis for her advanced team to travel for an event in Kog State in excess of ₦73m when it’s common knowledge that Kogi State has airport is repugnant enough to earn him a permanent home in a maximum security prison.
“Her reinstating will therefore, be a scandal of international dimension. It is indeed disturbing that despite these glaring infractions, some persons are desperately lobbying for her reinstatement. We are constrained to state that those who are trying to smuggle Dr. Beta Edu back into this administration are the beneficiaries of her corrupt schemes.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we urge you to use your good platforms to amplify our voices and ensure that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not listen to those clamouring for the return of Dr. Beta Edu. Her antecedents were clearly at variance with the Renewed Hope Agenda and any attempt to reappoint her will be tantamount to endorsing fraud and corruption, a move which will be vehemently resist.
“Mr. President must not tarnish the image of his meritorious administration by reconsidering the embattled Betta Edu. She must be probed and the findings made public for all to see. She must be made to account for the rot in NSIPA, N-Power, Conditioner Cash Transfer programme and the lopsided appointments she made while in office.”
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SERAP sues Akpabio over ‘failure to reverse unlawful suspension of Natasha Akpoti’

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio over the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. The group argues that the suspension is unlawful and violates her fundamental right to freedom of expression.
SERAP is seeking a court order compelling Akpabio to reverse the six-month suspension, reinstate Akpoti-Uduaghan, and restore all her legislative privileges. The organization also wants an injunction preventing the Senate from imposing further disciplinary actions against her for expressing her views.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended after she reportedly spoke without permission and rejected a new seat assignment in the Senate chamber. As part of her suspension, her salary and allowances have been withheld, and she has been barred from identifying as a senator.
In its suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, SERAP contends that the suspension deprives Akpoti-Uduaghan’s constituents of political representation. The organization also argues that penalizing a senator for exercising free speech creates a chilling effect on other lawmakers.
“No one should ever be punished for speaking without permission,” SERAP stated. “The Senate should uphold the rule of law and protect human rights, not suppress them.”
The group cites constitutional provisions and international human rights treaties, including Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
SERAP maintains that the Senate Standing Orders cannot override constitutional guarantees of free speech. The lawsuit emphasizes that restricting a senator’s expression undermines democracy and violates Nigerians’ right to receive information and participate politically.
No date has been set for the hearing of the case.
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Market associations, women groups knock el-Rufai, rally support for Tinubu, Gov Sani

Ahead of the 2027 elections, hundreds of members of market associations and numerous women groups in Kaduna state at the weekend, occupied Kaduna metropolis in a peaceful demonstration where they reiterated their loyalty and support to the administration of
Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The protesters who alleged that they had bitter experiences during the El-Rufa’i administration, said they would remain where Governor Uba Sani stood and advised the citizens of Kaduna not to be deceived by doing the contrary.
They recounted their ordeals during the 8 years of the previous administration, alleging that hundreds of market shops belonging to individuals were either seized, demolished or confiscated, a situation that triggered ill health in many traders and business owners leading to paralysis and multiple deaths of their colleagues.
“We’ve been in the market for over 40 years and have never experienced the kind of set backs we suffered under the previous Governor.”
“A lot of lives were lost,a lot of finances were ruined by reason of his kind of policies. We are here to speak with one voice and say that anything that would kind of revive such kind of philosophy in Kaduna market, we don’t want it,” Daniel Audu Maigari, a stakeholder of the Kaduna Market associations, has said.
He explained that “this incumbent Governor began by healing the wounds, the wounds that were really severed by the former Governor. Governor Uba Sani has been doing so,so very well and that’s why we’ve been with our leader, Alhaji Abdurrahman Mohammed, who like Governor Sani,has been charting the right course, ensuring programmes and plans that will heal these wounds .”
He said there was never been a time they are having the impact of leadership in Kaduna market, like they are having now.
” Now we’ve lots of incentives, lots of policies that are driving us to progress .We are now standing with one voice to denounce anything that would reverse this,” he said.
Alhaji Daiyabu Ismail Mai Gwanjo, Chairman Stakeholders of the Kaduna State Market Traders associations, said on behalf of their leader,Alhaji Abdurrahman Mohammed, his EXCO and all trader leaders in the 23 Local Government Areas of Kaduna State, they have gathered to unilaterally declare an unalloyed support to Governor Uba Sani who had taken care of them and protected their interests.
According to him,” we have to say so,haven had the harrowing experience in the hands of the past administration. The scar still remains and many are yet to recover.”
“But when Almighty Allah sent Governor Uba Sani to us,he declared he would not do anything bad to traders because the world thrives on businesses.All the most cherished countries like China, Canada, UAE, India,are very proud of and supportive to their traders and other business persons.”
“Unfortunately, we found ourselves during the previous administration that neither showed empathy nor sympathy to traders. An approximate number of 36 markets were demolished at that time.None of these markets was completely rebuild ,till date,and we are suspicious of the collaboration between the previous administration and the market developers.”
“We are therefore calling on Governor Uba Sani, our Governor of sympathy and understanding, to look at this issue with a view to resolving it.We are with Uba Sani a hundred percent, ” he added.
Hajiya Hadiza Abdulaziz,a woman leader of the market association,said they have gathered in multitudes to reiterate their support to the APC and Governor Uba Sani who has tremendously supported the market men and women in Kaduna State.
” Most of the market women had no shops because the shops were collected. But now we give God the glory everybody has gotten their shops back and nobody will collect it again,” she said.
She expressed happiness that those making the market women not to achieve, had left the party and government.
“We’ve been crying, a lot of market women don’t have capital, they have been deceiving us.But now,I believe Governor Uba Sani is going to assist us,”she added.
The protesters later took to the streets ,displaying placards with various inscriptions denouncing the previous arrangements, and chanting slogans in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Uba Sani and the All Progressives Congress, APC.
” Most of the market women had no shops because the shops were collected. But now we give God the glory everybody has gotten their shops back and nobody will collect it again,” she said.
She expressed happiness that those making the market women not to achieve, had left the party and government.
“We’ve been crying, a lot of market women don’t have capital, they have been deceiving us.But now,I believe Governor Uba Sani is going to assist us,”she added.
The protesters later took to the streets ,displaying placards with various inscriptions denouncing the previous arrangements, and chanting slogans in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Uba Sani and the All Progressives Congress, APC.
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