Betta Edu’s Cabinet Return Ruled Out; EFCC Findings Submitted to President, Says Onanuga

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, has confirmed that former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Betta Edu, will not be returning to President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet, stating that she is “gone for good.”

Onanuga made this declaration during an appearance on a Channels Television program on Sunday, attributing Edu’s removal to findings from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Edu was suspended in January following allegations of diverting over N585 million in public funds into a personal account. She was also implicated in the release of N3 billion intended to verify the National Social Register under the previous administration of Muhammadu Buhari.

Despite her claims of innocence, Edu was among the ministers not retained in Tinubu’s recent cabinet reshuffle. Addressing the absence of an official announcement regarding her dismissal, Onanuga stated, “Betta Edu is gone. She was suspended in January and this is October. She is gone. Her position has been taken over by somebody else.”

He further emphasized, “As far as this government is concerned, there is no place for her in that cabinet. The EFCC has not shared whatever they have, but if you go by what the President has done, it shows that maybe the EFCC has submitted something that actually justified that suspension. If you go by what the President has done, it means the EFCC has said something, has revealed something that formed the basis for the President’s action.”

Onanuga also highlighted the significance of Edu’s absence from the reshuffled cabinet: “If she’s not coming back to the cabinet, it means she’s not part of it, especially if you didn’t see her name in the reshuffled cabinet.”

He concluded, “The President has the power to hire and fire, to appoint and reappoint whoever he wants to reappoint. If her name is not there, that means she’s not there. I don’t think there is anything to argue about.”