In Defence of His Former Boss, Ngige Says Buhari’s Administration Not a Failure
Lists railways, school feeding programme, Second Niger Bridge as former president’s achievements
The immediate past Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has insisted that the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari was not a failure as claimed in some quarters.
Addressing journalists yesterday, in Alor, Idemili South Local Government Area (LGA) of Anambra State, while distributing palliatives to indigenes from the 21 LGAs of the state, Ngige said he was part of Buhari’s administration and witnessed projects carried out by the administration.
The former Anambra State and Agencies (MDAs).
She also clarified that no bulk payment is supposed to be made to an individual’s account in the name of the project accountant, contrary to the minister’s position that it was legal for Onyelu Bridget to be paid the money as the Project Accountant for Grants to Vulnerable Groups (GVG).
According to the AGF, such payment should be sent to the beneficiaries through their verified bank accounts.
This is coming as the minister yesterday described the N585 million fraud allegation against her as baseless and an attempt by mischief makers to undermine her ministry’s effort in fighting corruption.
The memo from the minister to the AGF with reference number: FMHAPA/HQ/S.208 and dated December 20, 2023, was titled: ‘Mandate for payment grants to vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers, Lagos and Ogun states’ respectively.
The letter, which was circulated in social media, read: “I hereby approve the payment for the accumulative sum of five hundred and eighty-five million, one hundred and eighty-nine thousand and five hundred a combined annual budget of N16.15 trillion, of which recurrent expenditure will gulp N8.77 trillion.
On the other hand, of the federal government's N28.78 trillion appropriation, the sum of N8.27 trillion is earmarked for recurrent expenditure transfers and other non-capital spending.
The federal government will also spend N1.74 trillion on statutory transfers. The statutory transfers of the budgets are appropriations by certain government institutions enabled by law and backed by the constitution to be made by themselves and cannot be altered or reviewed by the presidency or executive arm of government.
There had been concerns over the increasing recurrent expenditure by states, particularly given their low level of productivity and contribution to GDP.
Figures showed that Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Delta and Ogun states have the highest budgets of N2.26 trillion, N845.63 billion, N800.39 billion, N724.98 billion, and N703 billion, respectively in 2024.
This was followed by Niger, governor listed the completion of the Second Niger Bridge, school feeding programmes, and Enugu Airport, among others, as some of the projects carried out by the last administration.
Ngige, who vowed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will take over Anambra State in 2025, explained that his faction of the party in the state remains the authentic APC in Anambra, insisting that there was no crisis in the party.
He said, “It is not true that the Buhari administration was a failure. I was part of the government and the administration completed a lot of projects, including the Second naira (N585,180,500.00). These are payments for programmes and activities of the Renewed Hope grants for vulnerable groups.
“Details provided below: 2023 grant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom State, N219,429,750.00; 2023 grant for vulnerable groups in Cross Rivers, N783,828,750.00; 2023 grant for vulnerable groups in Lagos State, N219,462,250.00 and grant for vulnerable groups in Ogun State, N72,468,750.00 with total at N585,189,500.00.
“The payment should be made from the National Social Investment office account with account number 0020208461037 to the project’s accountant’s details listed above as Onyelu Bridget, UBA account.”
Reacting to the controversy generated by the payment request, Special Adviser to the Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Rasheed Olanrewaju Zubair, said the N585,198,500.00 was approved, adding that it was meant for the implementation of grants to vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Lagos states.On the minister’s request for the payment to be made into a private account, the statement insisted that “Onyelu Bridget is the Project Accountant for GVG from the Department
Imo, Abia, Enugu, and Bayelsa with N613.99 billion, N592.20 billion, N567.20 billion, N521.50 billion, and N480.99 billion respectively.
Kaduna, Katsina, Oyo, Kano, and Zamfara have annual budgets of N458.27 billion, N454.31 billion, N438.45 billion, N437.34 billion and N426.50 billion respectively.
Others are Anambra, Ondo, Borno, Edo, and Plateau with N410.13 billion, N395.26 billion, N358.70 billion, N342.80 billion, and N314.80 billion respectively.
Other tates' appropriations include Taraba, Bauchi, Jigawa, Cross River, and Kwara with N313.39 billion, N300.22 billion, N298.14 billion, N296.96 billion, and N296.40 billion respectively.
Others include Osun, Sokoto, Kogi, Kebbi, and Adamawa with N273.91 billion, N270 billion, N248.20 billion, N250.10 billion, and N225.80 billion, respectively.
However, Yobe, Gombe, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Ekiti, and Benue have the lowest annual budget of N216.95 billion, N208.06 billion, N204 billion, N199.88 billion and N159.57 billion, and N225.70 billion, respectively.
Niger Bridge, school feeding programme and numerous railways across the country.
“There is APC one and two in Anambra State. I won’t deny that fact. I am the father of APC here; I am the face of APC in Anambra State and I know for certain that we have newcomers who have been coming since the year 2021 and because the party is like a church, you don’t stop people from entering a church to seek salvation; so also you can’t stop people from entering a party to support government in power.
“We allow everybody but there is a segregation already because the new members don’t want to of Finance and it is legal in civil service for a staff, the project accountant to be paid and use same funds legally and retire same with all receipts and evidence after project or programme is completed.”
But in her reaction, the AGF yesterday denied honouring the N585.198 million payment request.
According to Madein, whose position was contained in a statement by the Director of Press at the OAGF, Mr. Bawa Mokwa, it is not her responsibility to make payments for projects and programmes on behalf of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The AGF clarified that allocations are released to selfaccounting MDAs in line with the budget, adding that such MDAs are responsible for the implementation of their projects and payments for such projects.
She explained that although her Office received the said request from the Ministry, it did not carry out the payment.
According to her, Edu’s ministry was advised on the appropriate steps to take in making such payments in line with the established payment procedure.
The AGF noted that in such situations, payments are usually processed by the affected ministries as self-accounting entities.
She added that no bulk payment is supposed to be made to an individual’s account in the name of the Project Accountant.
Madein added that such payment should be sent to the beneficiaries through their verified bank accounts.
She reiterated her determination of the letter and also seeking clarification on the subsidiaries that they required information on.
“We also requested additional time to compile and properly present the extensive documentation spanning 10 years.
“However, the EFCC did not provide the clarification sought and also did not honour our request for an extension, and insisted on receiving the complete set of documents within the limited timeframe.
“Despite this constraint, we assured the EFCC of our commitment to providing the information and pledged to share documents in batches as we complete the compilation,” Dangote said.
The company further reckon with the old members who have laboured for the party from the time, we were SDP to ACD, AC to ACN and then finally liberated as APC when we collapsed with NNPP and CPC. These are facts, and I don’t like denying things are facts.”
While responding to how APC will wrestle the ruling APGA in Anambra for the governorship race in the state in 2025, Ngige said: “Don’t worry for us; this is politics and in politics, you disagree to agree. One day if you don’t agree, you bear the consequences. We didn’t agree in the 2021 election and the result was clear in Anambra State.
“I am optimistic that APC will to uphold the principles of accountability and transparency in the management of public finances.
She advised MDAs to always ensure that the requisite steps are taken in carrying out financial transactions.
N585m Fraud Allegation Against Me Baseless, Edu Insists
Meanwhile, Edu has described the N585 million fraud allegation against her as baseless and an alleged attempt by mischief makers to undermine her ministry’s effort to fight corruption.
The embattled minister made this known in a statement posted on her Facebook page yesterday.
Breaking silence on the matter which has since gone viral, the minister noted that the allegation is a mere fabrication by her detractors who seek to frustrate her efforts in her fight against corruption and uplifting the needy.
She said: “I am writing to address recent news circulating about alleged fraud within the Ministry of Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation.
“As the minister, I want to assure you that these claims are baseless and an attempt to undermine the efforts we are making to fight corruption and uplift those in need.
“In the course of our work, we have encountered resistance from forces whose hands may not be clean, but I want to emphasise that our commitment to transparency, accountability, and eradicating corruption remains unwavering.
“The challenges we face only strengthen our resolve to serve with integrity and dedication. explained that on January 4, 2024, its team delivered the first batch of documents to the EFCC.
“However, officers of the EFCC did not accept the documents, insisting on visiting our offices to collect the same set of documents directly,” the company added.
The company revealed that while its representatives were still at the EFCC’s office to deliver the documents, a team of the commission’s officers proceeded to visit its offices “to demand the same documents in a manner that appeared designed to cause us unwarranted embarrassment.
“Worthy of note is the fact that the officials did not take any documents or files from take over in Anambra come 2025 for if you are not optimistic in life, then you go and commit suicide. So, optimism is with us. It is our watchword in APC. We have not done what we are supposed to do here but I am hopeful that between now and 2025, when the governorship election will be held in Anambra, we will have put our house in order and take over from APGA.”
The former minister who promised to distribute more food items like bags of garri and cartons of tomatoes to citizens next week, said: “I am still on sabbatical leave, resting and by the end of May this year when I would have rested for one year,
“I believe in the power of truth prevailing, and with God as my strength, I am confident that our collective efforts will continue to make a positive impact on the lives of the less privileged. Your trust and support are invaluable as we navigate through these unfounded allegations.
Also, in a post on X, she denied any wrongdoing, saying plans to tarnish her reputation will fail.
“Integrity and accountability are our watchwords! Under my watch in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, no one will embezzle government funds as before,” she wrote.
“The plans to tarnish the image of this administration, my person or the ministry will amount to nothing.”
Groups Ask Minister to Resign
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has asked Edu, to resign from office for transferring of public funds of over N585 million to a private account, describing the action as fraudulent.
According to the rights group, the minister should resign or excuse herself from office, pending the conclusion of an investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
HURIWA pointed out that the Public Sector Financial Regulations of 2009 prohibits the payment of public funds to the account of private individuals, adding that Section 713 of the law states that: “Personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government bank account, nor shall any public money be paid into a private bank account. An our Head Office during their visit as these were already in their office.
“We must emphasise that, to our knowledge, no accusations of wrongdoing have been made against any company within our Group. At present, we are only responding to a request for information to assist the EFCC with their ongoing investigation,” the company said.
Dangote Group noted that as a law-abiding and ethical corporate citizen, it remains committed to providing the EFCC with all necessary information and cooperation.
“We have already delivered the first batch of documents and are actively working to compile and submit the remaining
I will decide and publicise my next line of action.
“Previously, we distributed 2,000 bags of rice, this time around, it was increased to 4,500 bags with yams because lots of homes and people are hungry and I do not want to call it poverty
“Last farming season, Nigeria was unlucky as banditry and flooding caused havoc to farmers. Food-producing areas of Anambra State were affected and more of our people fell into that category, so we have three categories of the people we are catering for – APC members, people living with disabilities and elderly from the 21 Local Government Areas of Anambra State.” officer who pays public money into a private account is deemed to have done so with fraudulent intention."
HURIWA's National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, who signed the statement, called on President Bola Tinubu and the EFCC to use a universal yardstick in the enforcement of the anti-graft laws, arguing that certain individuals should not be exempted by the laws because they are senior national figures in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
On its part, the Network for the Actualisation of Social Growth and Viable Development (NEFGAD), has called for an investigation into the letter written by Edu, requesting the AGF to pay public funds into a private account.
NEFGAD in a statement signed by its Head of Office, Mr. Akingunola Omoniyi, urged President Tinubu to be impartial during the investigation and ensure that if found guilty, disciplinary action be meted on the minister, adding that the ‘massive corruption’ should not go unpunished.
Akingunola urged the president to direct the suspension of the minister for a thorough investigation by relevant anti-corruption agencies with immediate effect.
Akingunola noted that apart from the fact that Edu and the sacked CEO of NSIP, Mrs. Halima Shehu, are from different geographical divides of the country, the tendency and pattern of the allegations involving the duo are too identical and should not have attracted different approaches and measures in dealing with them by the president. documents, in good time, to aid their investigation.
“Our Group is a key contributor to the national GDP, the largest employer in the private sector, one of the largest groups listed on the Nigerian Exchange, and one of the highest taxpayers in the country. We remain steadfast in our belief in Nigeria's commitment to the rule of law and its dedication to fostering an environment conducive to investment and value creation for both local and foreign investors.
“We therefore call for the understanding and patience of our stakeholders. We will keep our stakeholders informed of any further developments,” the company added.