A group, Sustainable National Movement, has called on President Bola Tinubu to pardon and reinstate the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu.

Founder of the group, Kayode Arimoro, made the call at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday.

President Tinubu suspended the Humanitarian Affairs minister in January, following controversies about financial transactions she authorised in her ministry.

Mrs Edu came under criticism from Nigerians for ordering the transfer of N585.2 million into the private bank account of a civil servant, who is the accountant in charge of grants for Vulnerable Nigerians.

Mr Arimoro, a US-based Nigerian Civil rights activist, argued that the suspension of the minister is increasing poverty in the country and that many Nigerians are now vulnerable.

He said millions of vulnerable Nigerians who relied on the ministry for survival have been subjected to abject poverty since Mrs Edu was suspended.

“Getting the ministry’s working right would have solved Nigeria’s problems by over 70 per cent, with 133 million people living below the poverty line and an additional 10 million people thrown into poverty between January and April 2024 according to World Bank Macro Poverty Outlook for Nigeria: April 2024.

“That was the least deliverable that Edu promised to deliver, and she was all hands-on deck from her first day in office,” he said.

Mr Arimoro said Mrs Edu was not guilty of the fraud allegation against her and that some corrupt people planned to force her out of office.