A political science professor, Jonah Onuoha, says the investigation by suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, into alleged financial embezzlement should serve as a “wake up signal” to other members of President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.
Mr. Onuoha, former head of the political science department, University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Nsukka on Tuesday.
The professor, when reacting to the recent interrogation of Mrs. Edu by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said President Tinubu’s action against Mrs. Edu was a sign that other cabinet members should tread cautiously as it was no longer business as usual.
“I commend Mr. President for allowing the EFCC to investigate Edu for alleged financial misappropriation, less than six months after he appointed her as minister.
“With this bold step, Tinubu has raised a ‘red flag’ to other cabinet members that his administration has zero tolerance for bribery and corruption.
“The bane of our democracy in the past was corruption, financial embezzlement and the diversion of public funds into private pockets,” he said.
Onuoha noted that Mrs Edu’s investigation should serve as a deterrent for other ministers and political officials to avoid corruption or be prepared to face the consequences.
“With this, the Tinubu administration has made a good start in the fight against corruption and if it continues like this, his tenure will restore the confidence of Nigerians in governance,” he stated.
Onuoha advised ministers and other political appointees to view their appointments as an opportunity to serve their motherland and contribute their own quota to national development, rather than an opportunity to amass wealth illegally.
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“We should all put patriotism and national interest first whenever we are called to serve our country.
“Nigeria is the only country we can call our own; We are the people who will make Nigeria great.
“We must always remember that there is no place like home, as we will be treated as foreigners in any other country we find ourselves in,” said Onuoha, who is also director of UNN’s Center for American Studies.
(YAYA)