Halima Shehu’s Emotional Plea

The 2024 controversy that rocked the government, leading to the suspension and eventual dismissal of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, and the CEO of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), Halima Shehu, is back in the news.

Edu and Shehu traded accusations of diverting tens of billions of naira in public funds into private accounts, prompting an investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). According to reports, the commission recovered about N30 billion from 50 different accounts.

The government eased both women out of office without publicly assigning blame. Suggesting there was an unwritten code of silence, Shehu appears to believe that approach came at her expense.

In an emotional appeal posted on social media and other platforms, the former NSIPA coordinator called on President Bola Tinubu to release the outcome of the EFCC investigation, arguing that her reputation has been unfairly damaged.

She also referenced her political support for Tinubu before the 2023 election and said she had petitioned the Presidency, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), and the EFCC, requesting that the report of the investigation be made public.