By N. Ugoh.
Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has vehemently denied allegations connecting him to the company involved in the N585 million scandal linked with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs. Reports had suggested that Tunji-Ojo was a signatory to a company, New Planet Project Limited, which purportedly received N438 million in ‘consultancy fees’ from the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu.
In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Tunji-Ojo refuted the claims, stating, “I am not a signatory to the company.” The company, New Planet Project Limited, was reportedly one of the consultants awarded contracts worth N3 billion by the suspended minister for the National Social Register project, designed for cash transfers and other social investment programs.
Betta Edu, who had previously made headlines for directing public funds into a private account, faced further scrutiny as President Bola Tinubu suspended her on Monday, 8th of January, 2023. The President has ordered a thorough investigation into the alleged fraudulent activities involving the minister.
The scandal revolves around Edu’s approval of N585,198,500.00 to be disbursed into a personal account, along with questionable allocations for flight tickets and airport taxis for her team from Abuja to Kogi State, despite the absence of an airport in the latter. As the investigation unfolds, the Interior Minister maintains his innocence and disassociation from the controversial company.
