Pauline Tallen, the former Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, has denied involvement in the alleged N2 billion fraud in her ministry. Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja, Mrs Tallen dismissed the allegations as baseless and unfounded, stating that an investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was triggered by a false alarm.
According to Mrs Tallen, there was no missing money during her four-year tenure as the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, and that the alleged N500 million or N2 billion being reported in certain sections of the media was untrue. She explained that the allegations and investigations were prompted by a false accusation from an individual, claiming that she collected N500 million, which was meant for the African First Ladies’ Mission Complex (AFLM) headquarters in Abuja but failed to disburse it.
Confirming that N500 million was actually released to the ministry by the Ministry of Finance, Mrs Tallen said the money was disbursed as received, with documentary evidence. She added that government funds are never transferred to the personal bank accounts of serving ministers, as the minister is not the accounting officer of the ministry, but the Permanent Secretary.
While addressing the allegations, Mrs Tallen disclosed that the money was actually a support from the Ministry of Finance for the AFLPM, which was released through the Ministry of Women Affairs since AFLPM was not an agency. She explained that she was never involved in the process of the disbursement of money and that the two presidential aides and the ministry’s Permanent Secretary were the ones involved.
She later discovered that she was a target of a smear campaign because of her support for the Adamawa Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Aisha Binani, during the 2023 primaries. Her support did not go down well with some vested interests in the election. Mrs Tallen stated that her support for Binani was purely official, in line with the mandate of her office as the minister of women affairs, which entailed encouraging, empowering, supporting and protecting the interests of women to enable them to rise to certain levels or positions.
In conclusion, Mrs Tallen said the allegations were messy, embarrassing, scandalous, and involved calling the EFCC into the matter, which made her another victim of such wild and frivolous allegations.
