'Betta Edu is gone' - Presidency says suspended minister not coming back

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stated this during an interview on Channels Television's Sunday Politics.

Last week, Tinubu effected a sweeping cabinet reshuffle, showing five ministers the exit door and nominating seven others for appointment pending confirmation by the Senate.

He also scrapped two ministries, including the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and Sports Development Ministry and merged two others as the Ministry of Tourism will henceforth be under the Ministry of Culture and Creative Economy.

The President approved the creation of the Ministry of Regional Development to oversee all the regional development commissions such as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), North West Development Commission, South West Development Commission, and North East Development Commission.

Onanuga, who announced the fundamental changes, said the decisions were revealed during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja.

However, many Nigerians wondered why the Presidency was silent on Edu's case.

Tinubu suspended the former Cross Rivers State Commissioner in January following an alleged ₦585m scandal in her ministry.

The President also suspended the Halima Shehu, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Social Investment Programme Authority (NSIPA) following allegations of financial misappropriation in the ministry.

At the same time, he ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to conduct a thorough investigation into all aspects of the financial transactions involving Edu’s ministry and the agencies under the ministry.

However, the President has since remained silent on the outcome of the EFCC investigation or confirm whether the suspended minister has finally been sacked.

But when he was asked to clarify the former minister's status on the show on Sunday, Onanuga said "Edu is gone."

"She was suspended in January and this is October."

Asked to confirm if Tinubu has officially removed her from his cabinet, the spokesman answered in the affirmative.

"No, she's gone. She's gone because her position has been taken over by somebody else, that's the man from Plateau [Nentawe Yilwatda] that's going there now.

"As far as this government is for her, there's no more any place for her in that cabinet," he stressed.

"The EFCC has not shared whatever they have but if go by what the President has done, it shows that maybe the EFCC has submitted something that actually justifies that suspension," Onanuga replied when asked about the outcome of the EFCC investigation of Edu.