More trouble for Betta Edu as AGF denies authorising N580m payment

The Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, has denied authorising the payment of N580 million to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation for grants to vulnerable groups in some states of the Federation.

The payment was allegedly requested by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, who is currently facing corruption allegations for misappropriating funds meant for the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).

According to a press release issued by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) on Saturday, the OAGF does not make payments on behalf of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for projects and programmes implemented by the MDAs.

The press release stated that allocations are released to self-accounting MDAs in line with the budget and such MDAs are responsible for the implementation of their projects and payments for such projects.

The AGF explained that although her office received the request from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, it did not carry out the payment. The Ministry was however 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 and no bulk payment is supposed to be made to an individual’s account in the name of Project Accountant.

“She added that such payment should be sent to the beneficiaries through their verified bank accounts,” the statement read in part.