Posted by Deji Adeyanju, an Abuja-based rights activist and constitutional lawyer, has requested President Bola Tinubu to suspend Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
He said Enitan and all ministry directors should be fired to clear the way for a thorough probe.
Tinubu turned over the portfolio to Enitan after the Minister in Charge, Betta Edu, was suspended for her involvement in financial misappropriation.
Documents accused Edu of allowing the transfer of N585 million in social intervention funds into a public servant’s private account.
Following the disclosure, Tinubu suspended Edu and directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to properly examine the incident.
However, Adeyanju criticized Tinubu’s choice to transfer over the ministry to Enitan, claiming that he is aware of the ministry’s corrupt activities.
The statement reads: “While politicians come and go, the permanent secretary remains until his or her resignation.
“It is therefore quite doubtful that the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs was oblivious of the fraudulent activities that were taking on within that ministry. The permanent secretary ranks only second to the Minister. How were these funds transferred to private accounts without the knowledge of Mr. Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, the permanent secretary?
“Whose responsibility was it to keep the minister up to date on the many civil service laws designed to prevent corrupt practices? Can the permanent secretary genuinely deny knowledge of the shady dealings that occurred in that ministry, or is it a case of multiple people dipping their hands into the public purse, but only the one caught is referred to as the thief?
“In view of the foregoing, I believe Mr. President’s choice to delegate responsibility for the ministry to the permanent secretary is ill-advised. To conduct a thorough inquiry in that ministry, as instructed by Mr. President, the permanent secretary and all directors must be suspended in equal measure to determine their involvement, if any, in what has become a national embarrassment.
“The president is, therefore, urged to hand over the affairs of the ministry to any other permanent secretary in any other ministry, but not the present permanent secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.”