NewStats: 3,263,917 , 8,181,891 topics. Date: Sunday, 08 June 2025 at 06:54 PM 4v1p63

Last month, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, was suspended from office by President Bola Tinubu following public outrage over the disclosure that she authorised the payment of N585.2 million public funds into a private in violation of financial transparency laws.

However, TIMES’ findings show that the “crime” she is accused of is prevalent across several ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). At least N159.6 billion (N159,626,619,959) was paid into private s by MDAs in six years, a review of data published by Govspend, a platform tracking government spending, show.

The findings do not exonerate Ms Edu but show that the problem is not peculiar to her and is widespread within the Nigerian government.

The Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta tops the list of MDAs making such controversial payments with a total payment of N8.3 billion in 130 transactions to Ebikabowei Victor-Ben, an ex-Niger Delta militant.

The Nigerian office of the New Partnership for African Development, a pan-African poverty-eradication programme funded by member states, comes next having paid N1.5 billion in 111 tranches to one Afangekung Mfon Okon.

Other MDAs that made multiple transactions into private s include the Ministry of Information and Culture, Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Ministry of Power, Ministry of Women Affairs, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Office of the ant General of the Federation and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

Over N13bn public funds paid into private s in 2023

Last year, more than N13.6 billion was paid into private s in violation of the country’s Financial Regulations 2009.

The violators include the Office of the SGF, Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning and many parastatals.

Findings showed that the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta paid N4.72 billion into individual s of some camp leaders in the Niger Delta where the struggle for oil wealth and agitation against environmental hazards have propelled ethnic militias to pick arms against the state.

For instance, in a total of 10 transactions, Mr Victor-Ben, the ex-militant also known as Boyloaf, received N564.7 million from the office between July and November 2023. According to the transactions’ descriptions, the money was meant for “delegates of Boyloaf camp.”

His counterparts also benefited, having received N3.5 billion collectively.

Despite its oversight functions, the SGF office was also caught in the web. It paid public funds amounting to N3.1 billion into 15 private s between March and December 2023.

The scandal-ravaged Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development paid at least N918.5 million public funds into private s. This is in addition to other scandalous payments in the ministry as seen in the cases of the pioneer minister, Sadiya Umar Farouq and her successor, Betta Edu.

The Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning paid N1.5 billion in tranches to 16 individuals for various projects and services between February and December last year.

In other suspicious transactions, the Ministry of Women Affairs paid N1.6 billion into the s of vaguely identified individuals for travel purposes, palliative for widows, and monitoring and evaluation of capital projects among others.

Between March and September, NEPAD paid N1.67 billion into the s of two individuals, Bello Nagwaggo and Afangekung Mfon Okon.

EFCC, Police, Human Rights Commission, AGF office, others complicit

While five parastatals paid billions into private s, 12 others paid in millions with the lowest being N17.6 million.

The MDAs that paid millions into individual s include, the EFCC, Police Formations and Commands, Nigeria Police Academy Wudil, Kano, National Directorate of Employment, National Commission for Refugees, Auditor General for the Federation, National Commission for Persons with Disability, Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Federal Character Commission, Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Budget Office of the Federation and National Human Rights Commission.

Others are the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult & Non-formal Education, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and the Ministry of Niger Delta.

The EFCC in two transactions between May and October last year, paid a total of N211.7 million into two private s; one for Aliyu Naibi (N154,974,745.00) and the other for Abdullahi Mohammed (N56,767,056.83).

In total, the police (police formations and commands and Nigeria Police Academy Wudil, Kano) paid N173.8 million into five individual s.

Prominent Nigerians as beneficiaries
Some of the payments made into individual s could be explained. For example, former President Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former SGF Boss Mustapha and many ministers and aides who served in the Buhari istration were paid their severance allowances.

One notable controversial payment made to a known public official was the N89.8 million that the police paid to the then-police spokesperson, Frank Mba, in 2019. The official records show that the payment was for issues such as the production of presidential portraits to be used by the police and the cost of “airing” a police programme on TV; payments the police could have made to the service providers directly.

What the law says
Chapter Seven, Section 713 of Nigeria’s Financial Regulations 2009 states that “Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank , nor shall any public money be paid into a private .”

It also added that: “Any officer who pays public money into a private is deemed to have done so with fraudulent intention.”

Commenting on our findings, Joe Abah, a former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, said: “Things like that should not be paid into personal s but should be transparently procured.”

He added that the financial regulations condemn “paying project activity money into private bank s, like was alleged to be done in the Betta Edu case.”

However, the Deputy Director of Fiscal s in the office of the ant General of the Federation, James Abalaka, said that the Financial Regulations 2009 recognises circumstances in which public money can be paid into private s.

Chapter 10, Section 1001 of the regulations sheds light on what it described as ‘imprest’, which is “applicable to all sums advanced to a public officer to meet expenditure under current estimates, for which vouchers cannot immediately be presented to a Sub- ing Officer for payment.”

“Imprests are issued by the ant-General of the Federation and the ing Officers of Self-ing ministries/extra-ministerial offices and other arms of government,” section 1002 explains further. “The authority for issuing Imprests is conveyed in the Annual General Imprest Warrant issued by the ‘Minister of Finance to the ant-General.”

According to the financial regulation, there are two types of imprest namely: standing imprest and special imprests. The latter which is granted for a particular purpose “must be retired in full when the purpose has been achieved.”

The former “may be replenished from time to time during a financial year by the submission of paid vouchers to Sub-ing Officers for reimbursement.”

Mr Abalaka noted that MDAs are responsible for money paid into private s. According to him, the ant general’s office through the Government Integrated Financial and Management Information System (GIFMIS) only facilitates payments of vouchers raised by MDAs.

Mr Abalaka told TIMES that there are three layers — initiator, reviewer and final approval — of payments in every MDA.

“The initiator is someone who initiates payment after a permanent secretary’s approval,” he explained. “The reviewer then reviews it and checks whether there are adjustments to be made before ing it for final approval where the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) makes the payments.”

The ant general’s office, he explained, only makes the government’s daily expenditures open through the open treasury portal and is not responsible for any payment made “except the one made within the AGF office.”

He, however, declined comment on the N11.5 million paid to one Lanre Gbajabiamila by the ant-general’s office.

On 25 September 2023, N5.7 million was paid to Mr Gbajabiamila as “Payment of furniture allowance to 19 political office holders.” The same amount was in 2018 paid into his for a similar purpose.

https://www.timesng.com/investigationspecial-reports/665683-nigerian-mdas-paid-over-n159bn-into-private-s-in-six-years.html

Buhari's change mantra was a scam

That is the legacy of the APC government. Why did you all think 1 man was shouting Emilokan It is his turn to benefit from the cake na

Bluntemperor:


You cannot even reason beyond this kindergarten-level at your age!
So, was your GEJ not in PDP and many of the Ministers, including, the Petroleum Minister- Dezani stole Nigeria blind in NBILLIONS / Dollars and no wonder,stealing is very much around because there is no Consequences for this pandemic going round!
Try it in China or Singapore, even in USA,your head would have been straighten since! 'Stealing is not Corruption'
Shame on you!

The shame should actually be on morons like you who play double standards and make excuses for evil. The APC came into power vilifying the previous istration for corruption at all levels. They prided themselves as a government of integrity while lots like you sang to the high heavens how saintly Buhari is and how his fight against corruption is the best thing since after Jollof and how "yam eaters" must vomit the yams they stole. Isn't it shameful that all manners of thievery and corrupt practices are being uncovered despite all the loud noises and media trials of the previous istration they met.

Gboom:

It is myopic to blame APC alone for this. This fraudlent act is older than six years in Nigeria. If detail audit trail is carried out since advent of democrazy you will hate the richmen, politicians and high ranking civil servants from different political parties

It isn't myopic because they prided themselves as being different from the "PDP" and previous istration even though it is one and the same gang of thieves who have been jumping ship. Where's their well publicized anti corruption fight??

Nlfpmod, nawa oo. Free money for politicians.

G

They want to gaslight people to know that Betta Edu is not the only culprit. But let's start from her.


APC is a ravaging cancer to the economy of this country. They flagrantly and blatantly break the law and offenders are Rhodes to give punishment

Damnnn niggar

Please we should leave politicians alone

And beam our search light on the common masses on the street and you will realise how devilish and corrupt the masses on the street are

This are same people criticising politicians

I wast booked on Friday by federal road safety

Now I went to their office that same day to generate code and pay at the bank

Guess what the road safety officer at the office told me there was no network. I waited for two hours still no network
Then I went there yesterday again
Only for them to also tell me again there is no network

I decided to wait again if possible for 4 hours

While waiting one officer from no where approached me and was telling me "guy you know what to do na
Nor dey act like baby"

Give them the money let them give you your seized drivers licence sharply.. guess what I did because I was already exhausted
Then boom the idiot brought out my drivers licence
Which means their intention was to lie that there is no network so that a code for bank payment can't be generated
With that I will give them the money in cash and they will share it

Hmmm

It will definitely consume the citizens if we don't demand the proper thing be done most time.
Imagine the governor of Niger state said on TV yesterday it was some people that came on truck from Lagos that were protesting in Minna and not the citizens of Niger state.

See money

APC is just anyhow. No morals, nothing.

Past 6 years! Still APC government

but nairalanda1 wants everyone to believe that the reason why the country is not functioning is because of subsidy

una never see anything yet. Ojú yín a fe bo

I thought some guys here used to praise bubu's government as if there's no corruption whatsoever there. The man and his cohorts with their gullible ers came in and drew the country 80 years backwards in just 8 years.

In those years when I hated PDP for their corruption, little did we know that they would be almost be seen as the righteous by the time APC takes over. It's a Shame that people are even yearning for the economy to return to the way it was 10 years ago.

Anyways, I've known before 2015 that APC is an Aggregation of Political Criminals. A group of people who only wanted power just to own and loot the country dry.

APC and corruption are 5&6

Very very useless set of people

Nigerians need to start demanding for their rights from this useless government.

Freedom and rights are earned, they are not given. Worse is it that APC do not even think people have rights and many Nigerians are also meant to believe that they have no rights.

The more you look.......

Government officials kidnapping all of us, kidnapping our common wealth, taking big ransom into their private s at the expense of all of us?

What shall we say to this things?

There was indeed a country!!!

This national cake 🎂 don suffer

Nigeria is gone. Every sectors is made up of many people who are really ready to devour our common wealth and stack our money for their unborn generations.

Not until a law is made by firing corrupt politicians at the market square, corruptions will persist.

Nigeria my country. madam edu was just unfortunate. I knew others started it before she came into the ministry. She just followed suit with what she met on ground. Truth is that the corruption going on inside our country has gone on too long unchecked that people just see it as the normal way to go. It will take a drastic and self sacrificing leader to correct this. Not the present government.

Naija my country

ogododo:


https://www.timesng.com/investigationspecial-reports/665683-nigerian-mdas-paid-over-n159bn-into-private-s-in-six-years.html

I noticed most Agbadorians have no strength left in them anymore to comment on most Threads anymore due to hunger and misery

Some of those payments were inevitable ask the US Government

The annual budget of Nigeria that keep suring the previous one, would have translated into general development of the country but the culture of corruption deploys it for the benefit of the larcenous public office holders and their underlings. The corruption is a network of functioning ruiners who works harmoniously to keep the system going unhindered. Or how do one explain this form of coordinated assault on Nigerian by men who are put in charge of every unit of it's governance hierarchy.

That's Nigeria for you.
Then why is Betta Edu's own now different?
Even, EFCC follow transfer for private .

Hehe