A socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Youth, has said those bent on making sure that the Renewed Hope Poverty Alleviation policy of President Bola Tinubu did not succeed were after the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, due to what they described as the minister’s uncompromising stand against saboteurs.
Ohanaeze Youth said this in defence of Edu who is under fire from those they described as “enemies of progress” desperately trying to link her with the sham in the National Social Investment Agency (NSIPA).
The group in a statement released in Abuja by its leaders Nwabueze Obi, Ekwem Eucharia and Ndukaku Chris said the attempts to rope the minister in the corrupt allegations that led to the sack of the CEO of NSIPA, Halima Shehu, was a typical case of corruption fighting back.
The group appealed to President Tinubu to disregard such unfounded allegations aimed at sabotaging his novel efforts to alleviate and probably eradicate poverty in Nigeria which Edu stands for and refused to join the bandwagon of making programmes in the areas a conduit pipe.
“We the Ohanaeze Youth after critical and careful examination of the rumours spreading like wildfire since the President ordered the suspension of the Co-ordinator/Chief Executive Officer of NSIPA, Halima Shehu over alleged financial impropriety, we come to a stunning discovery that those after Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Poverty Alleviation are indeed after Betta Edu.
“Our findings revealed that they have taken this path after they met her uncompromising posture to allow them or connive with them to turn the programmes aimed at eradicating poverty and providing succour to economic distressed Nigerians into their a gold mine.
“Her refusal to go into this unholy alliance with them to jeopardise government modest efforts to assuage the plight of Nigerians is main reason those heartless opportunists have launched campaign of calumny against the young, brilliant and shining star of the Tinubu administration.
“We urge to President not to listen or give attention to their tissue of lies and distraction to realisation of the Renewed Hope Agenda in the humanitarian and poverty alleviation priority area which Dr Edu is religiously implementing. We also warn those mischief makers to retract or we will expose them and fight them to a stand still,” the statement read further.
