Make Report On Betta Edu, Others Public, Group Tells Tinubu

A group known as Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI) has urged President Bola Tinubu not to bow to pressure, but ensure that the report of investigation of corruption allegations against the minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation, Betta Edu and other government officials under probe is made public in the spirit of transparency.

The group applauded the president’s swift response to corruption allegations against a member of his cabinet, Edu, by suspending and ordering her investigation.

The IMPI chairman, Niyi Akinsiju stated these at a world press conference on the Performance Analysis of the President Bola Tinubu’s eight months in office in Abuja, yesterday.

Akinsiju stressed that corruption is a disincentive to foreign investment especially of the kind Nigerians are so desirous to have in the country at the moment.

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He also said President Tinubu has performed creditably well despite the enormous institutional, economic headwinds and domestic challenges in the last eight months of his administration.

“Without prejudice to the outcome of the ongoing investigation, we urge the President to not bow to pressure, but ensure that the report of that investigation and those of other government officials under investigation be made public in the spirit of transparency.

“This will go a long way to sending clear signals to local and international audiences about the Tinubu administration’s seriousness to tackle the scourge of corruption as recently observed by the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken during a recent visit to Nigeria.

“From our review of President Tinubu‘s policies in the last eight months, we can objectively submit that the administration has performed creditably well despite the enormous institutional, economic headwinds and domestic challenges it has had to contend with,” Akinsiju said.

He further said the decision by the president to announce the removal of fuel subsidy is not only courageous but commendable as it has ultimately led to a quantum leap in total gross revenue going into the federation account.

„As part of our evaluation of the nation‘s economy under the present administration, we reviewed the national inflation rate, especially the food inflation, the latest of which the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported to be at 33.93% for December 2023.

„This rate should naturally exert concerns, however, our findings have shown a commitment by the President to stemming the tide of rising food prices and ensuring food security by approving the accelerated cultivation of 500,000 hectares of land across the country in collaboration with state governments.

„On security, we note with special interest the approval of N50bn for the establishment of the Pulaaku Initiative, a non-kinetic approach to tackling insecurity which emphasizes the provision of social amenities like schools, hospitals, housing and sanitary facilities in the seven (7) pilot states of Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna, Benue, Katsina and Niger.

This is, in our view, a creative and pragmatic intervention that will most likely change the narratives around insecurity in the country,“ Akinsiju added.