A few weeks from now, we shall be celebrating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s first year as president of Nigeria.
Despite all the hurdles the President faced before winning one of the most competitive elections in recent history, the country has united behind a man with an impeccable track record of choosing leaders. He mentors them young and smart and tilts towards empowering the feminine gender.
Nobody second-guesses President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s boldness, daring, and resolve as a leader.
He prioritized a proven track record, competency, positive energy, and affection for the vulnerable over the easy choices. Betta Edu is a vibrant, compassionate, extraordinary performer who has experienced the rudiments of leadership from her days as the vice president of the Student Union Government, Special Adviser in Cross River State, to the Pioneer Director General of Cross River State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Commissioner of Health Cross River state and Chairman of all Commissioners of Health in Nigeria. She was elected the youngest National Women Leader of any political party in Africa and galvanized women’s support all over the country, then appointed Honorable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation for the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The youngest in the history of 4th Republic of Nigeria.
Dr. Edu’s seriousness and technocracy to that very sensitive ministry which is the human face of the Renewed Hope agenda for the poor.
Getting the ministry’s workings right would have solved Nigeria’s problems by over 70 percent, with 133 million people living below the poverty line and an additional 10 million people thrown into poverty between January and April 2024, according to the World Bank Macro Poverty Outlook for Nigeria: April 2024. That was the least deliverable Dr. Edu promised to deliver, and she was all hands on deck from Day 1.
While shattering glass ceilings, doing the impossible for the Tinubu’s Renewed hope Mandate, going down to the very poorest at the remotest areas in the country, managing Internally Displaced Persons, Disable and the Vulnerable at large, the corrupt system orchestrated ways to force her out of office. Little wonder that by the end of December 2023 an international Paper The Guardian UK and several organizations rated her as the Best Minister for 2023 after 4 months of a sterling performance.
She was diligent enough to expose a 44.8 billion Naira unapproved transfer in December 2023 by National social Investment Program Agency under the supervision of her Ministry.
How else can we explain the suspension of someone who exposed the fraud that occurred in a ministry? 44.8bn Naira was transferred without approvals from the president, Federal Executive council or even the knowledge of the Minister; Dr. Betta Edu queries this action, and off she goes suspended in 7 days? How does that make any sense?. This is a young woman with an impeccable track record of over 12years in leadership roles and public service. Have we lost our conscience? Can we quantify the untold hardship that sometimes irreversible, vulnerable people across Nigeria must have gone through and are still going through because of this action of allowing the plans of the corrupt people to prevail?
She acted based on Chapter 14 section (iii) of the Federal Government Financial Regulations.
The effect of this action or inaction is so enormous that it determines the effect on young people or women globally who are being forced out of positions of leadership and relegated to the back burner.
I wonder who Dr. Edu is protecting. In all of these she has said nothing! Who is she scared of? Why is she not defending herself with facts? Is she being made to keep mute? Is she being bullied?
This battle must not be prolonged or lost for the sake of the vulnerable, the biggest losers in this time of freeze action. The battle must not be lost to those intentionally allowing the investigation to drag on. The battle is for us all, and this is how to win: Re-Instate Dr. Betta Edu.
Our own President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, did not bow to pressure when he was the Governor of Lagos State, and the state was starved of Monthly allocations. You did not bow to pressure when Naira was redesigned to decimate your presidential race. You did not bow to pressure when your adversaries were using fake edited memes, fake propaganda to defame your character all over the media. Our Dear President, under pressure, you always come out victorious. Please make history again. Re-instate Dr. Betta Edu today and let the good work continue.
Kayode Michael Arimoro.
USA Civil right Analyst; Founder- Sustainable National Movement
Author, Entrepreneur, Systems and Automation Subject Matter Expert.
Country: Nigeria
Website: https://www.thekayodemichaelarimoro.com/
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