N585m scandal: Suspend Perm Sec Enitan, directors of humanitarian ministry – Adeyanju tells Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu has been requested to remove Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, by rights activist and constitutional lawyer Deji Adeyanju, who practices in Abuja.
He suggested that in order to make room for a thorough probe, Enitan and every director in the ministry should be fired.
After Betta Edu, the minister in charge, was suspended due to her involvement in financial mismanagement, Tinubu gave Enitan control of the ministry.
According to documents, Edu authorized the transfer of N585 million in social intervention monies into a civil servant’s personal account.
After the revelation, Tinubu placed Edu under suspension and directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC, to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the matter.
Adeyanju, however, criticized Tinubu for entrusting Enitan with the ministry since he might be aware of the unethical activities occurring within it.
“Politicians come and go, but the permanent secretary remains in office until they resign,” the statement says.
Therefore, it is quite doubtful that the institution of Humanitarian Affairs’ permanent secretary was ignorant of the corrupt activities taking place within that institution. Only the Minister is higher on the list than the permanent secretary. How were these cash shifted to private accounts without the knowledge of Mr. Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, the permanent secretary?
Whose responsibility was it to keep the minister informed about the several public service regulations designed to forbid corrupt behavior? Is it really possible for the permanent secretary to claim ignorance of the scandals that occurred in that ministry, or is it more likely that multiple people reached into the public coffers and only the one who was apprehended was labeled as the thief?
In view of the aforementioned, I believe that Mr. President made a mistake in deciding to give the permanent secretary control over the ministry. The permanent secretary and every director must be suspended equally in order for a comprehensive inquiry into that ministry to be conducted as instructed by Mr. President. This will help ascertain whether any of them is responsible for the embarrassing situation that has spread across the country.
“Therefore, the president is asked to transfer the ministry’s operations to any other permanent secretary in any other ministry, but not to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs’ current permanent secretary.
