“We won’t spare anyone found culpable” _ FG say in Humanitarian Ministry Scandal

Nigeria’s government said on Sunday that the President Bola Tinubu-led administration would not spare any individual found culpable in the ongoing investigation into the alleged fraud in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and its Social Investment Programmes.

Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity made this disclosure when he spoke on a national television programme.

Dwelling on the on-going probe, Ngelale said, “The President has given full instruction to the EFCC chairman to not only conduct a thorough investigation.

“The way the president would direct such an investigation is to say that nobody, no name, should be left out if they are found wanting in the situation. No sacred cows at all.

“Anywhere this investigation takes the EFCC and other investigating authorities. That is where the investigation must go and the president will take action accordingly.”

The presidential spokesperson added that the president had “since made it clear to all members of his administration, that he would not tolerate any form of indiscipline, corruption, dereliction of duty or any other form of incompetence.

“President Tinubu is going to let time go by. If he fully understands that somebody is not up to the task, he will fix the problem and fix it as quickly as possible,” he added.

Recall President Tinubu after suspending the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation on January 7, had directed the Chairman of EFCC to “conduct a thorough investigation into all aspects of the financial transactions involving the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, as well as one or more agencies thereunder.”

Ajuri, while reacting to comments from the media and some Nigerians calling for the suspension of the National Social Investment Programmes Agency’s (NSIPA) activities, following allegations of financial impropriety, said, “At this point, it is in the realm of speculation. What is not in the realm of speculation, however, is that the President has ordered a thorough investigation. And wherever that investigation takes him, he will act accordingly.