Thelma Osatohanmwen
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has vehemently denied accusations linking him to a company who allegedly awarded N438 million in contracts, as contained in a leaked memo connected to the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu.
The leaked memo circulating online raised questions about Tunji-Ojo’s role as a signatory in the company implicated in the N438 million contract scandal.
In response, the Interior Minister refuted the claims during an interview on Channels TV, asserting, “I am not a signatory to the company.”
Tunji-Ojo expressed shock at the allegations and clarified that he had resigned from his directorship in the company approximately five years ago.
He disclosed that he and his wife co-founded the company 15 years ago and resigned in 2019 when he won the House of Representatives election to pursue his political ambitions.
Explaining the sequence of events, Tunji-Ojo stated, “I and my wife founded the company 15 years ago. Well, in 2019, when I got to the House of Representatives, I won the election precisely, I made a change. I had resigned as director of the company to hold office.”
The Minister emphasized that, to the best of his knowledge, public service rules do not prohibit public officers from being shareholders.
This clarification aimed to address concerns about a potential conflict of interest and whether he misused his position to secure the contract.
NEWSTODAYNG gathered that the ongoing scandal involves the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu, who is accused of diverting over N585.2million to a private account.
The leaked memo also revealed that the company, New Planet Project Limited, allegedly owned by Tunji-Ojo, was awarded contracts worth N438 million as ‘consultancy fees’ from Edu.
While acknowledging his co-founding role, Tunji-Ojo asserted that, since his resignation from the company in 2019, he cannot be held responsible for its actions.