A public policy analyst, Chibuzor Okereke, has stated instances where the fraud allegations labelled against the embattled Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, does not hold waters.
Okereke took to social media to defend Edu, stating that if it is only with the documents in the public domain as charges against the minister, assuring her that there is no case.
He explained that the nation’s financial regulation number 713 emphasizes on individuals not to deposit public funds in government accounts.
He highlighted that this was a regulation for 2009 at that time where Treasury Single Account was not implemented.
According to Okereke, “If the documents in the public domain are the only charges, then there is no case. That particular memo that was relied on, the federal government financial regulation number 713 talks about how individuals should not deposit public funds in government accounts. This is a regulation for 2009 at that time we have not implemented TSA.
Nobody has drawn attention to Financial Regulation 2014, number 1402(iii), which talks about advances for disbursement for special projects.
Project managers and project accountants can receive those monies, disburse, expend, and retire the non-personal advances.
If the argument is that these financial rules need to be reviewed, that it doesn’t look okay. Then the argument will make sense. Even if you go to the office of the permanent secretary in the villa, you cannot operate the TSA account dealing with your operational costs, dealing with other logistics, without having a project accountant credited for the implementation of such projects.
There is a difference between an officer who has official responsibility to take charge and disburse funds(the said Bridget is an Assistant Director, a staff of the OAGF) and a private individual, completely.”