Officials in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, have condemned suspended minister, Betta Edu, for using the ministry’s letterhead for a condolence message while on suspension.
Edu was reported to have returned to office where she wrote the victims of the Jos building collapse, using the official letterhead of the ministry she oversaw for months before being suspended for alleged graft.
NewsNGR reported a school building collapsed in Jos, Plateau on Friday morning claiming the lives of 22 pupils of Saint Academy. Over 154 persons were injured.
Edu who was suspended in January following an alleged bid to divert N585 million through a private account and pay herself and staff of the ministry to travel to Kogi State on a flight while going by road condoled the victims using the ministry’s letterhead raising concerns she had been recalled despite no report of investigation from the anti-graft agency.
NewsNGR reports Edu, who denied any wrongdoing, was a guest of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission or EFCC for investigation.
Presidential spokesman, Mr Ajuri Ngelale, who conveyed the president’s directive said the president called for a “thorough investigation into all aspects of the financial transactions involving the federal ministry affairs and poverty alleviation,” when the EFCC was called to investigate.
Since the investigation commenced with several days of grilling nothing has been heard about what the EFCC found.
But Edu in her condolence message coined as if it’s an official message from the ministry wrote, “It’s with profound grief that I extended my deepest condolences on the tragic collapse of the school building in Jos, Plateau State, which has resulted in the loss of multiple lives and left many survivors grappling with unimaginable pain and suffering.
“May the souls of the departed rest in peace, and may the injured receive swift and complete healing.
“Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and all those affected during this incredibly difficult time,” Edu wrote, conveying the ministry’s sympathy.
However, several officials of the ministry who spoke to NewsNGR denied she had returned to her post.
“She has not returned, she can’t try that,” a staff member said under condition of anonymity. “It’s like she doesn’t know the implication of what she just did – writing with official letterhead while on suspension! What audacity! It is wrong.
“The last time she tried to stage a comeback was when she brought some people who said they were prayer warriors into the ministry to pray that she was under spiritual attack.
“We resumed office only to find her and some people praying in the office while the gate to the ministry was locked.
“The permanent secretary called her and warned her not to try that again. Since then, she has not returned,” the staff member said.
Another official said, “It’s a big offence to continue to function when you are under suspension. She’s under suspension, let her wait for clearance before staging a comeback.
“Maybe she forgot it’s a fraud allegation and it’s well documented but someone should tell her to wait.
“I haven’t seen or heard she has returned to the office although I read she wrote to the victims of the school building collapse in Jos, I don’t know why she would do that.”
On Tuesday afternoon, when NewsNGR called to verify if she was in the office, the staff member said, “No, she’s not here. The permanent secretary too has not come but has been overseeing the affairs of the ministry.”
When NewsNGR called Edu’s telephone line and sent messages there was no response.
Also, EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale did not reply to the text message sent to him for comment.
Several calls made to his telephone line were unsuccessful.