Betta Edu, minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation, approved funds for flight tickets and airport taxis for the ministry’s staff to Kogi — a state with no airport.
The approval is contained in a leaked internal memo dated November 6, 2023, and seen by TheCable.
The memo issued by the national programme manager, requesting the total sum of N72,374,500, was titled: ‘The Disbursement Under the 2023 Grant for Vulnerable Groups Programmes in Kogi State, 2023’, and was approved by the minister.
In the memo, the sum is appropriated for the minister’s “advanced team” to travel by air for an “event” in Kogi.
Each of the minister’s “advanced team” members, including aides, received the sum of N200,000 for flight tickets, N20,000 for airport taxi, and local running expenses and DTA depending on grade level — all amounting to N72,374,500.
The sum of N300,000 was earmarked for the minister’s air ticket.