By Ishaya Ibrahim
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been advised to suspend Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo over the allegation of influence peddling in a N435 million contract his firm benefited from suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu.
The firm, New Planet Project, was founded by Tunji-Ojo about a decade ago.
The Minister however claimed that he resigned as director of the firm in 2019 after becoming a House of representatives member.
But at the portal of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo remains the single most significant shareholder of the company while his wife holds the directorship position of the firm.
While the debate whether the N435 million contract breached legal and ethical procedure since he is a serving minister and remains a significant shareholder of the company, another old controversy has surfaced.
The old controversy, in the year 2020 involved Senate President Godswill Akpabio, then as Minister of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Akpabio at the time appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC. The committee at the time was headed by Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, but he recused himself during the hearing.
In the heat of the hearing, Akpabio alleged that members of the committee including the chairman, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, was a beneficiary of a contract in the NDDC. It was at the point of the disclosure that the deputy chairman of the committee who chaired the session since Olubunmi Tunji-Oji had recused himself started screaming the infamous ‘off the mic, off the mic.’
#Akpabio: Most of the contracts In #NDDC are awarded to National Assembly Members.
Committee Chairman: It's ok Hon. Minister, it's ok Hon. Minister, it's ok, don't talk again, off your mic.🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/HW97X7VcBg
— Kwankwason Tuwita🔴 (@babarh_) July 20, 2020
On X, Nigerians are asking Tinubu to let Olunbunmi Tunji-Ojo go following the contract controversy.
@firstladyship said: “Bola Tinubu should let Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo go. If he truly wants to succeed, then he should have no favorites. Influence peddling is as bad as corruption, even worse. Those in authority must begin to fall in line, or ship out. Nigeria must survive.”
@Chonsyy said: “So, just realised that in that infamous “Honourable Minister, off your mic” video where then Minister Akpabio accused legislators of being “the greatest beneficiaries” of the mad contract scams in the NDDC, the chairman he was referring to is current Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.”
OlorogunErnest said: “These findings truly leave some of us very disappointed as Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo was doing a great job in the interior ministry. It’s beginning to look like most of the ministers in this government stink of corruption, and we’re gradually now waiting for 2027. Nigeria can not continue like this.”
But other Nigerians want Tunji-Ojo to retain his position.
@KikelomAdemola said: “Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo is a shining star. No amount of your propaganda can stop him from making the Renewed Hope agenda successful.”
@1NigeriaFirst said: “Some of the offences of Honorable Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo’s @BTOofficial- Passport Automation – Clearance of 204,332 passport backlogs and over 50,000 new passports in three weeks. -Clearance of 2.5 million NiN modification backlogs – Prison Decongestion.”
