Bola Babarinde, a former chairman of the All Progressives Congress in South Africa, says President Bola Tinubu should act swiftly in probing suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu.

Mr Babarinde said this in a statement on Thursday.

On Monday, the president suspended Ms Edu over the alleged transfer of N585 million into a private account.

“The president should not relent on fishing out those bad eggs in his administration that are bent on tarnishing his image. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should deploy a robust ICT system to channel payments directly to beneficiaries of his palliatives.

“Such novel innovation should be explored without further delay, enough of excuses to steal funds meant for millions of downtrodden and vulnerable Nigerians by few corrupt officials,” stated Mr Babarinde.

The politician added, “This case must not be allowed to drag unnecessarily in any way as it would determine how this administration would be portrayed in the fight against corruption.”

He noted that the impunities in the previous government “are definitely an albatross to the present administration,” noting that “with recent allegations and revelations of misconduct in the National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA), it seems hope is gradually being eroded and lost in our country if decisive actions are not taken to reverse the trend.”

He lauded Mr Tinubu for suspending NSIPA director Halima Shehu to allow for proper investigation, especially for the obvious reason of championing integrity in the ministry.

Mr Babarinde said, “The youths of this great country are being let down by these two individuals if finally found guilty.

“Whoever is found guilty, no matter how highly placed and any party or interest that want to interfere with these case should be exposed. This administration should not be dragged into the mud. We cannot afford these scandals to avoid Nigerians losing hope in the president.”

He added, “When individuals involved are dealt with, there must be an urgent need to upgrade and be serious about fixing our system and lay premium on enforcement of laws and improvement on the existing ones with loopholes which make them easy to circumvent.”

(NAN)