Minister of interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has admitted that a company he co-owned with his wife received payment of N438 million from the minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation Betta Edu.
Ms Edu has been suspended for asking the accountant general of the federation to wire public funds into a private account. Her ministry is now under probe.
Mr Tunji-Ojo told Channels TV on Monday after a leaked memo showing his company got a contract from Edu that he stopped being on the company’s board five years ago.
“Yes, I founded the company (Planet Projects LTD) 15 years ago,” he said. “But in 2019, when I won election, I resigned as director of the company almost five years ago.”
“I’m not a director. I resigned as far back as 2019 and CAC certified it,” Tunji-Ojo said, showing his interviewer a document.
Tinubu suspends Betta Edu over N585m controversy
We refused Betta Edu’s request to pay N585m into private account – AGF
When confronted that he could have used his office to influence a contract for a company in which he is a shareholder in the ministry of his colleague, the minister said public service rules do not prohibit him from being a shareholder.
“How could I have done that? I’m minister of interior not minister of humanitarian. On what basis will I do that? Is a company not entitled to bid for anything? he asked.
“Of course, to the best of my knowledge, public service rules do not prohibit public officers from being shareholders. What public service rules say is that you cannot be a director of which I had resigned about five years ago,” he added.
The minister, who has been getting accolades over his reforms at the ministry, further said, “The question should be, if the company was given a job, did they do the job? Was the job validly awarded?”
