“You Know What Led To The Relief Of Your Predecessor” – Ndume Tells Ministerial Nominee

The lawmaker representing Borno South senatorial district, Senator Ali Ndume, has advised Nentawe Yilwatda, the newly appointed Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, to leverage financial technology to ensure that government support reaches vulnerable Nigerians effectively.

Ndume made this call on Wednesday during the Senate’s screening of Yilwatda, who hails from Plateau State.

Highlighting the importance of the ministry, Ndume stressed that Yilwatda’s role is critical, as nearly 60% of Nigerians are currently living in poverty amid an escalating humanitarian crisis.

He also reminded the nominee of the challenges that led to the dismissal of his predecessor, Betta Edu, cautioning him to steer clear of similar pitfalls.

Ndume asked, “You know the circumstance that led to the relief of your predecessor. My question now is that as the first man to be appointed as humanitarian minister. What would you do as a case of emergency to make sure that the humanitarian crisis that we are facing, and are likely to face more, will be addressed?”

“Fortunately, you are an ICT person. How do you intend to do that? That will give us a lot of comfort.”

Replying to Ndume and his colleagues who posed questions to him, the nominee said he would deploy technology and innovation to tackle the humanitarian crisis in the country.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio subsequently asked the nominee to take a bow.

From Plateau State, Yilwatda is a registered Engineer with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), a community developer and a lecturer with the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State.

Yilwatda was appointed Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2017 and posted to Benue State as Resident Electoral Commissioner.

Last Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu appointed Yilwatda to replace Betta Edu who was suspended in January 2024.

Controversy had enveloped Edu’s alleged involvement in the approval of N585,198,500.00 to be disbursed into a personal account but denied the allegation and said there were plans to tarnish her image, and that she wouldn’t embezzle government funds.

Incidentally, Edu’s predecessor, Sadiya Farouq, was also probed over an alleged laundering of N37.1 billion during her tenure as a minister under the administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.