EduGate: Accountant-General On EFCC Hot-Seat Over N585m

…….The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has grilled the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Oluwatoyin Madein, over the alleged link to N585.2million fraud in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation by the suspended Minister, Betta Edu.

…..According to an EFCC source who confirmed the development, he revealed that Madein was grilled over the payment of N585.2 million of the government funds from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation into the private bank account of a government official.

The source was quoted as saying that “The Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, has been invited and interrogated by the commission. She was grilled for over six hours on Monday….over the payment of N585.2m from the National Social Investment office account to the UBA account of Bridget Oniyelu, the accountant of the Grants for Vulnerable Groups under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.

“The AGF was not detained, and she was released with no condition after she made her explanation in writing to the investigators during interrogation. However, she told interrogators that she didn’t approve the memo from Minister Edu for the payment into a private account.”

……Recall that a leaked memo had revealed how the suspended Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Edu, in December 2023, requested the AGF to transfer the money from the National Social Investment office account to the UBA account of the accountant of the Grants for Vulnerable Groups under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola.

But the AGF in a statement, had countered the claim by Edu, noting that allocations were released to self-accounting Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in line with the budget and such MDAs….were responsible for the implementation of their projects and payments for such projects.

…,.The EFCC on Tuesday last week grilled the suspended minister, Edu who was suspended on January 8, by President Bola Tinubu, for over 10 hours……over the alleged N585 million fraud.