By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

ABUJA — THE Presidency said that President Bola Tinubu will not spare anyone found guilty in the ongoing investigation of financial infractions in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and its Social Investment Programmes.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, dropped this hint when he featured on TVC’s programme, Politics on Sunday.

Recall that President Tinubu had suspended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu over the payment of about N585 million into a private account.

The President had also directed the Executive 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.”

Besides, President Tinubu, who had received accolades from a cross section of Nigerians including his political opponents for taking a proactive decision on the scandal, tasked a panel headed by the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Mr Wale Edun, to, among other functions, “conduct a comprehensive diagnostic on the financial architecture and framework of the social investment programmes to conclusively reform the relevant institutions and programmes in a determined bid to eliminate all institutional frailties for the exclusive benefit of disadvantaged households and win back lost public confidence in the initiative.”

Speaking on the matter, the presidential spokesman, Chief Ngelale said, “The President has given full instruction to the EFCC chairman to not only conduct a thorough investigation.

“The way the President would direct such an investigation is to say that nobody, no name, should be left out if they are found wanting in the situation. No sacred cows at all.

“Anywhere this investigation takes the EFCC and other investigating authorities. That is where the investigation must go and the President will take action accordingly.”

It will also be recalled that the embattled suspended minister received heavy bashing after a leaked memo on December 20 had revealed that she directed the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer N585m to a private account owned by one Oniyelu Bridget, who the ministry claimed currently serves as the Project Accountant, Grants for Vulnerable Groups.

Ngelale further said that the President had, “since made it clear to all members of his administration, within the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and private meetings, that he will not tolerate any form of indiscipline corruption, dereliction of duty or any other form of incompetence.”

He also added, Tinubu “is going to let time go by. If he fully understands that somebody is not up to the task, he will fix the problem and fix it as quickly as possible.”