Calls for expanded probe intensify as Perm Sec takes charge from Edu
11 January 2024 |
4:15 am
Calls for the probe of the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, continued yesterday following allegations that a company he has interest in, New Planet Projects Limited, was a beneficiary of a N3 billion contracts awarded to some companies
• Interior minister has not violated any law — Shehu Sani
• Yoruba Ronu urges Tinubu on far-reaching measures against sleaze
Calls for the probe of the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, continued yesterday following allegations that a company he has interest in, New Planet Projects Limited, was a beneficiary of a N3 billion contracts awarded to some companies under questionable circumstances by the embattled Dr Betta Edu.
The pressure heightened as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Abel Enitan, yesterday took charge of the affairs of the Ministry following Monday’s suspension of Edu.
The change of baton is in line with the directive issued by President Bola Tinubu, who suspended Edu over her alleged involvement in a N585 million fraud.
Citing conflict of interest as a major reason the minister’s company ought not to have bidded for the contract, if there was ever a bidding done, lawyer and Lead Director, Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Eze Onyekpere, said the minister should in good faith resign or be suspended to pave way for investigation because his action is a clear breach of the public procurement laws.
In an interview with The Guardian, he said: “Looking at the time of the contract award and the timeframe of delivery, you will know that this is just a job for the boys. The jobs were supposed to be advertised and then people will bid, select and then the contracts were supposed to be awarded to them, but I have not heard that such was done.”
According to him, “there is this term called revolving doors and the idea of revolving doors is that if you are a minister and I am also a minister, I can tell you to give like five million worth of a job and I will also retaliate when the opportunity comes. So, there is a conflict of interest in what they have done.
“The section of the law, which talks about conflict of interest means that the fact that it is not whether his name is still there as a director but who is the beneficial owner at the end of the day in terms of the company’s net profit or loss? These are the questions. So, to tell Nigerians that it is your wife or husband that is a director, is there any difference? That company should have no business receiving government contracts.
“So, there is a conflict of interest here, they should actually query him, and they should actually force him to resign or decide to fire him based on the evidence.”
But a former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, disagreed with Onyekpere, saying Tunji-Ojo has not violated any law by being a shareholder in a company that got a contract from the ministry of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation.
Sani said the minister has the right to hold shares in the company. “Going by the facts presented by Tunji-Ojo, he had since 2019 resigned from the company mentioned as beneficiary. It could have been a conflict of interest if he had not resigned.
“There is no law that says public officials must sell their shares when they assume public office. Moreover, it’s not his ministry and companies have the right to pursue businesses anywhere.
“Edu’s case is very clear and can’t be equated with that of Tunji-Ojo. Legally, he can’t be held to account on this matter. Let’s not be distracted.
“According to section 030424(a) of the civil service rules, ‘public officers are not prohibited from holding shares in both public and private companies operating in Nigeria or abroad, except that they must not be directors in private companies and may only be directors in public companies if nominated by government’.”
It was gathered that Enitan assumed responsibility of the ministry after a letter to that effect from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation was given to him Monday night.
The letter was handed over to Enitan by an official from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, according to workers at the humanitarian ministry yesterday.
“The Permanent Secretary has taken over the affairs of the ministry based on the directive of Mr President. He officially got the letter to assume duty yesterday,” a senior official at the humanitarian ministry, who pleaded not to be named due to a lack of authorisation, stated.
The official added, “He (permanent secretary) needed to get the letter of authorisation from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation before assuming duties, despite the announcement in the media.”
At the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) headquarters, the suspended minister yesterday continued her second day of grilling, despite being granted bail on Tuesday night. Following the summons from EFCC shortly after her suspension, she honoured the invitation on Tuesday morning and was held in custody till night when she was granted bail.
A socio-political group, Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, yesterday, called on President Tinubu to go beyond suspending Edu, but that far reaching measures needed to be taken to unravel the recent scandal discovered in the ministry.
President of the forum, Akin Malaolu, said “following the outrage that greeted the abuse of payment instructions and the shadowy payments made to some so-called consultants by the ministry, we are satisfied to a reasonable extent with the decisions made by the President directing investigations into the matter.”
The forum however said, “if the government must be sincere and with an urgent interest in promoting confidence building for its image, then, there is the need to go the whole hog in activating the usual checks and balances already existing in conducting government businesses.
“The Auditor-General of the Federation must sit up, the permanent secretaries and Directors of finance and to their budget Departments in all the Ministries, Department and Agencies must combine synergies in bringing abuses to a stop. It is now commonplace to hear that millions are no longer attractive to clever-by-half office holders, but they seem very brave and comfortable stealing billions. When the spate is as high as this, then nothing is safe again while the nation will continue to record stunted growth year in year out.
“We must advise at this stage that the Minister for Interior, Mr Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, should similarly be investigated alongside with other so named consultants.
“Conflict of interest is abuse of office, trust and to the Constitution of the Republic. This must not be allowed from any serving Political Office Holder who has sworn to uphold the dictates of our laws and rules.”
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