Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Monday, denied personally benefiting through his company, New Planet Project Limited, from the sum of N438.1 million from the alleged fake N3 billion social register contract by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, hitherto headed by Dr. Betta Edu.
Even as more revelations emerged about who got what from the controversial contracts, the scandal showed no sign of abating. Instead, it spread like wildfire in the harmattan, with more people getting sucked in.
But President Bola Tinubu, on Monday, yielded to the recommendations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and suspended Edu with immediate effect, following alleged financial impropriety in her ministry.
Edu’s predecessor in office, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, was on Monday detained by EFCC over an alleged N37.1 billion fraud while she held sway as minister.
The presidency said Tinubu’s directive was in line with his avowed commitment to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in the management of the commonwealth of Nigerians.
According to a statement by Tinubu’s media adviser, Ajuri Ngelale, the president further directed the chairman of EFCC to conduct a thorough investigation into all financial transactions involving Edu’s ministry as well as agencies under it.
Tinubu also tasked the investigating panel headed by Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to, among other functions, conduct a comprehensive diagnostic on the financial architecture and framework of the social investment programmes. The president said this was to conclusively reform the relevant institutions and programmes in a determined bid to eliminate all institutional frailties for the exclusive benefit of disadvantaged households and win back lost public confidence in the initiative.
While the directives by the president took immediate effect, Edu was denied access to Tinubu at State House, Abuja, on Monday afternoon, and her access pass was taken back from her by State House security.
However, contrary to reports that Tunji-Ojo benefited from Edu’s alleged fake N3 billion social register contract, documents showed that the interior minister resigned as a director at the company nearly five years ago.
New Planet Project Limited, with registration number 804833, was said to have been registered on March 3, 2009.
A Certified True Copy of the Corporate Affairs Commission dated August 8, revealed that the minister had alongside four others resigned as directors on February 1, 2019.
The document titled Form CAC 7A, contained the names and addresses of the old directors as well as the new ones.
Section A contained names of “directors ceasing to hold office” from February 1, 2019. They included Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Abimbola Tunji-Ojo, Okpanachi George Echiye, Idris Shuaibu, and Hassan Suleiman.
Section B, on the other hand, contained names of newly appointed directors, which included Otegbeye Olabanji Oladapo and Anne Adeiza Bello.
The column for directors of the company from the date of the notice showed Akinmulewo Amos Oladapo, Otegbeye Olabanji Oladapo, and Anne Adeiza Bello, as directors.
The document was signed by Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo and Akinmulewo Amos Oladapo as Director and Director/Secretary/Authorised officer, respectively.
The document was further presented for filing at the CAC by one Abu Dennis, on February 6, 2019.
Nonetheless, Edu was directed to hand over to the Permanent Secretary in the humanitarian affairs ministry, and further directed by the president to fully cooperate with the investigating authorities in their investigation.
The embattled minister, who was denied access to Tinubu at State House, Abuja, had arrived at the seat of government with the intention of having a personal discussion with the president.
While she succeeded in clearing all security checks up to the president’s office, she was not lucky enough to see him in his office.
Apart from her inability to have an audience with Tinubu, it was also gathered that her access tag to State House was immediately withdrawn from her by the president’s security.
Edu was ferried out of the president’s office in a Toyota Hilux truck belonging to State House security.
It was not immediately clear whether she was later allowed to use her official vehicle out of the premises of the Presidential Villa.
Hours after her suspension, EFCC invited Edu to its headquarters to answer questions over an alleged attempt to move N585 million to a private account.
Chairman of Progressive Governors’ Forum and Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, reacted to Edu’s suspension, saying it is difficult to question the wisdom of the president.
Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume, and other interest groups, described Edu’s suspension as part of Tinubu’s determination to fight corruption in the country.
Meanwhile, Edu was expected to appear before interrogators at the headquarters of the anti-graft agency on Tuesday. Her invitation followed the directive of the president to the anti-graft agency to probe the Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Ministry after he approved her suspension.
Edu’s predecessor, Sadiya Farouq, was still being questioned by EFCC interrogators as at 6:40 pm on Monday, over allegations that she laundered N37.1 billion while serving as a minister in former President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet.
A competent source at EFCC told THISDAY that the agency had sent out an invitation to Edu and expected her to appear at the EFCC headquarters on Tuesday.
“We have invited Beta. Sadiya is still with us. Betta Edu has been mandated to report to the commission tomorrow,” the source said.
It was further gathered that the anti-graft agency had recommended the immediate suspension of the minister in order to pave the way for a thorough investigation.
Following the president’s approval of her suspension, the commission swung into action over the minister’s alleged payment of a N585,189 million grant meant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun and Lagos states into a private account.
A source close to the investigation said, “Our investigation into the alleged payment won’t be thorough if we didn’t recommend the minister’s suspension. Her suspension will give us liberty to do our job thoroughly as directed by the president.
“An official invitation by the commission has already been sent to her. We expect her to honour the invitation to give proper insight into the issue at hand. So, we expect her to arrive here anytime soon.”
But the commission detained Umar-Farouq, as investigation into her alleged involvement in the laundering of N37.1 billion while she served as minister continued.
The former minister arrived at the headquarters of the commission in Jabi, Abuja, on Monday, about 9:30am.
Competent sources confirmed her arrival at the agency and her subsequent detention.
“She arrived this morning and is facing interrogators,” the source said.
Umar-Farouq had written the anti-graft agency to tender her apology for failing to honour a previous invitation by the commission to answer questions on the alleged laundering of N37.1 billion.
Deji Elumoye, Kingsley Nwezeh, Alex Enumah, Sunday Aborisade in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna
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