Edugate: CISLAC rejects appointment of Enitan as humanitarian affairs ministry overseer

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)/Transparency International in Nigeria has expressed disappointment over the appointment of the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan to run the ministry.

Daily Trust reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday suspended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, from office with immediate effect over payment of the money into one Bridget Mojisola Oniyelu’s private account.

She was also directed to hand over to the permanent secretary of the ministry.

However, the Executive Director of CISLAC/Head of Transparency International in Nigeria, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, on Thursday night in a statement said that it is not acceptable that Mr Enitan, the accounting officer of the ministry involved in such scandal should be allowed to supervise the ministry.

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“This action will compromise the investigation and is an insult to the intelligence of the public, at best. The impression to right thinking people is that the government is planning a river of heist and abuse of public trust.

 “By our extant regulations and laws, the permanent secretary is the accounting officer who should have been suspended along with the minister. Ministers work on recommendations of civil servants led by the permanent secretary. 

There is no evidence that the permanent did not participate in the matters being investigated. In any case, the permanent secretary did not object to what happened and should be a subject of investigations,” Rafsanjani said.

He regretted that top officers connected with approvals and sanctions of financial and procurement processes within the ministry like the permanent secretary are yet to be suspended or subjected to thorough investigation till their innocence is proven, but are instead promoted to sensitive positions, where the ongoing investigation could easily be hampered or sabotaged.

 He said, “Appointment of Enitan to head the ministry will certainly undermine the credibility and respect accorded the current administration.”

He urged President Bola Tinubu to urgently rescind his decision to appoint the permanent secretary and other persons who should as well be under serious investigation to occupy such a sensitive position, pending the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and scrutiny of the ministry by anti-corruption agencies.