Sunday Okobi
A group known, Youths Vanguard for Democracy and Good Governance, has called on President Bola Tinubu to reinstate the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Social Welfare, Dr. Betta Edu. The group plea was on the heel of pervasive hunger in the country, most especially as it affects the less-privileged.
In an open letter to the President Tinubu yesterday, the group pleaded with him to end the media trial against Edu by making public the EFCC report.
The group expressed worry that 11 weeks after the suspension of the embattled minister, the National Social Investment Programmes and Humanitarian Response are still shutdown in Nigeria, despite the nerve-racking hardship, insecurity and humanitarian crises faced by a vast majority of Nigerians.
The statement signed by the National President and National Secretary, Abdulkadir Abubakar and Adelola Poju respectively, said one of the major spinoffs and accelerants to the many humanitarian issues bedeviling the country remains the subsisting suspension of the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu.
The letter read: “It is without gainsaying that one of the major spinoffs and accelerants to the many humanitarian issues bedeviling us, remains the subsisting suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu.
“To be emphatic, Mr. President, we reckon that the continuous treatment of this matter with cuddling gloves and delays births disturbing signals that shows injustice for Nigerian youths where performing young people become targets of political network if they ‘do not cooperate’.
“The whole situation is insensitive to the plight of the country where kidnapping, banditry and social tension can be directly linked to deep rooted poverty.
“Few weeks ago, we woke up to a disturbing news of a stampede at the Nigeria Customs Zonal Office, Yaba, Lagos, that led to the unfortunate demise of many innocent Nigerians.
“While we were yet to recover from that experience, we were again greeted by another tragic incident in Nasarawa State University following a stampede that occurred during the distribution of palliatives by the state government.
“Most of these could have been better handled by a ministry that has a formal structure all the way to the grassroots in every village or community in Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, the group has appealed to the president in the spirit of Ramadan and Lent to hearken to the yearnings of Nigerians, especially the young people and forgive the minor administrative infractions and reinstate Betta Edu.
It said: “If truly there was negligible financial crime committed on Betta Edu’s part as all approvals came from the presidency, then we enjoin the president to act swiftly as a father figure and reconsider the subsisting suspension of Betta Edu, and also make public the report of the EFFC investigation, in order to clear the name of this exceptional lady, whose passion to work is unrivalled.”
