*I’m not signatory to firm – Interior Minister
*Admits founding company in question
By OUR REPORTER
Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo was Chairman House panel probing corruption in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), who was accused of being part of the corruption and so criticised for presiding on the same case of which he was an interested party, when President Muhammadu Buhari’s forensic investigation of NDDC ignited probe at the National Assembly. It led to the popular mantra: “Honourable Minister, please off your mic”
Another Minister in the cabinet of Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu was recently accused to have also been caught in the complications surround the new uncovered fraud and financial rules breach in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation for which the Minister in charge of the ministry, Betta Edu, has been suspended.
Some reports claimed that a firm allegedly owned by the minister had gotten N438.1 million as “consultancy fees” from the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Edu’s N3 billion social register contract while others were said to have been spread to unregistered abd unknown companies.
The social register was created by immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari, for cash transfers and other social investment programmes towards alleviating poverty among the poorest of poor Nigerians.
It was first handled by former Vice President Yemi Osimbajo (SAN) with records of successes until Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs was established in second term of the administration in 2019 and the programme was moved under it.
The successive administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu has continued with the programme with Betty Edu, a former Cross River State Commissioner and All Progressives Congress (APC)’s National Women Leader, as Minister since about five years ago.
Sahara Reporters, citing a document posted by the editor of a media platform, Pointblank News, Jackson Ude, on Monday January 8, 2024 had reported that a company owned by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, was paid a total amount of N438.1 million by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation under Betta Edu for consultancy services.
The company, New Planet Project Limited, according to the report, was one of the numerous consultants awarded contracts from N3 billion given out by the suspended minister for the National Social Register contract.
In the document the report revealed that Tunji-Ojo’s New Planet Project Limited was initially paid N279 million for verification of the list and another N159 million for the same purpose.
An independent check by SaharaReporters revealed that the firm has the interior minister and his wife, Abimbola as directors.
One Gbadamasi Gbadamasi Clement is also listed as the secretary of the company which was registered on March 3, 2009, with registration number 804833.
It added that the action is, however, against the Nigerian Constitution and Code of Conduct law.
The Code of Conduct law, in sections 5 and 6, bars public officers from putting themselves in positions of conflict of interest and prevents them from partaking in any business other than farming.
Other beneficiaries of the N3 billion contract include Fabunmi Olanipekun & Co. which got N419.5 million. Vintsolve Global Consult was also paid N558.8 million.
Periscope Consulting got N277 million, Blue Trend Enterprise was N277.8 million, Laitop Dynamics Interlink Services got N277 million, Memak Nigeria Limited was paid N277 million, MC Van Management Consult Limited got N275.8 million while Danzinger Nigeria Limited- N275.8 million.
“Other companies that benefitted from the N3 billion contracts are: Blue Trend Enterprise-N277.8million.
“Blue trend, has no record of being registered and the owner is unknown. Periscope Consulting-N277million. Periscope Consulting, with registration number 1053019, registered on July 24, 2012, is owned by one Ngozi Maureen Ojiego, known for Interior Decoration. Laitop Dynamics Interlink Services Ltd-N277million.
“Laitop with registration number 1340092, is owned by one Quburat Bolanle Bolanta. It was registered on June 6, 2016. Memak Nigeria Limited with no known ownership and date of registration got NN277million.
“MC Van Management Consult Limited with no records of registration also got N275.8 million contract while Danzinger Nigeria Limited with registration number 635448, registered on Sep 23, 2005 got N275.8million. Danzinger is owned by one Oladapo Rotimi Mohammed.
“All the contractors claimed they verified 11 million homes in Nigeria under one month,” Ude stated in a Twitter post.
However, a source reportedly told SaharaReporters that the interior minister may have gotten the contract through his former aide and coordinator of the National Programme Manager, Grant For Vulnerable Groups, Thalis Apalowo, who served as legislative aide to Tunji-Ojo while he was representing Akoko North Federal constituency at the National Assembly.
“He was the one who lobbied for his appointment as coordinator of programme under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, he is his close aide,” the source reportedly said.
Apalowo was one of the minister’s advanced team who received N2,515,000 for DTA for five nights, local running @30% of DTA, for flight tickets and airport taxis to Kogi — a state with no airport, it was further said.
Edu had asked the Accountant General of the Federation, Mrs Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein, to send public funds to a private account which belonged to Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola, identified as a project manager by the minister.
The minister had allegedly approved that N585,198,500.00 should be disbursed into a personal account.
The media source also reported on Sunday that her ministry approved funds for flight tickets and airport taxis for her team from Abuja to Kogi State, even though the latter has no airport.
President Tinubu on Monday suspended Edu and ordered an investigation into the alleged fraudulent activities of the minister.
Minister denies allegations
But the Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has distanced himself from claims of owning the reported company awarded a contract by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
“I am not a signatory to the company”, he responded to the contract allegations linked with him and the ministry of humanitarian affairs, on Monday, during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“As I’ve always said, I came into public office with a commitment to base my service on sincerity of purpose and openness. I believe that Nigerians don’t deserve to be kept in the dark in terms of public office operations.”
He added: “And actually, I was shocked because the company in question was a company where I was a director. About five years ago, I had resigned from my directorship”.
While admitting to founding the company alongside his wife, the minister said his resignation from the firm was owing to his political ambition.
“I and my wife founded the company 15 years years ago. Well, in 2019, when I got to the House of Representatives, when I won election precisely, I made a change,” he said.
“I had resigned as director of the company to hold office.”
The minister said he is only a shareholder of the company which is not in violation of the law.
“Of course, and to the best of my knowledge, the public service rule does not prohibit public officers from being shareholders,” Olubunmi said.
The DEFENDER reports that Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo was Chairman House panel probing corruption in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), who was accused of being part of the corruption and so criticised for presiding on the same case of which he was an interested party, when President Muhammadu Buhari’s forensic investigation of NDDC ignited probe at the National Assembly. It led to the popular mantra: “Honourable Minister, please off your mic”.
