The Presidency has said that suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction Betta Edu is gone for good as far as the Cabinet of President Bola Tinubu is concerned.
Edu was the star girl during the 2023 presidential campaign, brightening the podium with her glowing colour and pretty English.
Pundits even saw her as some threat to Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Diaspora Commission boss, who is also an active female member of the party.
But Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said Edu, who has been on suspension since January, was surely not coming back.
He said this during an appearance in Sunday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Edu was suspended over an alleged N585m scandal in the Ministry.
The President had also directed Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to conduct a thorough investigation into all aspects of the financial transactions involving the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, as well as one or more agencies thereunder.
Onanuga said on Edu’s permanent exit: “I think there is another person from Cross River in the cabinet. Betta Edu is gone. Don’t forget that she was suspended in January, and this is October.
“No, she is gone. Her position has been taken over by someone else — that’s the man from Plateau (Nentawe) who is now assuming the role. For this government, there is no place for her in the cabinet.”
Onanuga added: “The EFCC has not shared whatever they have, but if you consider the president’s action, it suggests that the EFCC may have submitted something that justified the president’s decision.”
