As the corruption allegations against the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, heighten, there is a report that the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry, under her watch, greenlit expenses for flight tickets and airport taxis from Abuja to Kogi, a state with no airport, ahead of the November 2023 governorship elections.
Leaked documents disclosed how the APC transferred a whopping N226,188,500 million to Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo states through the Ministry, merely days before the November 11, 2023, governorship polls.
In a controversial move, the minister’s team received substantial sums, including N1.54 million for flight tickets and taxis, even though Kogi lacks an airport.
Further investigations by SaharaReporters uncovered the peculiar situation. While Kogi State lacks an airport, the nearest one is in Akure, Ondo State, approximately five hours away by road. Despite this, funds were allocated for air travel from Abuja to Kogi.
Surprisingly, Governor Yahaya Bello, who often commutes between Abuja and Kogi, opts for road travel.
Previously, Governor Bello advocated for an airport in Kogi during talks with former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020.
However, no concrete steps have been taken, despite past promises from the Minister of Aviation about new airports in several states, including Lokoja, Kogi’s capital.
The misuse of public funds by Minister Edu for non-existent airport trips raises concerns about financial transparency and adherence to regulations, highlighting potential corruption in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Recently, Edu has been on the spotlight for the wrong reasons after a damning memo against her surfaced online, exposing how she ordered the Accountant General of Federal (AGF) to pay N585million into a private account.
As reported by MUK TV on Saturday, on the heals of the corruption scandal rocking the Humanitarian Affairs Minister, renowned Nigerian and America-based Professor and columnist, Farooq Kperoogi urged President Tinubu to dismiss her from his cabinet.
Despite these alarming findings, attempts to reach the minister for comment were unsuccessful.
