A firm owned by Tunji-Ojo and others benefitted from a N3 billion contract to verify 11 million homes of poor Nigerians
By Ishaya Ibrahim
Suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu allegedly paid a N435 million to a firm owned by Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo for a consultancy fee.
Edu is facing probe for directing the office of the Accountant General of the Federation to pay N538 million palliative fund to an account of a private individual against the government financial regulatory procedure.
While the controversy over the Betta Edu scandal still rages, another one broke out involving a firm owned by Tunji-Ojo.
The firm, New Planet Project Limited was one of the numerous consultants awarded contracts from N3 billion given out by the suspended minister for the National Social Register contract.
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The social register was created for cash transfers and other social investment programmes with New Planet Project Limited being a beneficiary of the contract. A search on the portal of the Corporate Affairs Commission shows the interior minister and his wife, Abimbola as directors of the company. But Tunji-Ojo said he resigned his directorship of the company, hence should not be held responsible for the action of the company.
A document of the funds disbursement was shared on X by Jackson Ude, editor of Pointblank News. According to the document, New Planet Project Limited was initially paid N279 million for verification of the list and another N159 million for the same purpose.
Other beneficiaries of the N3 billion contract include Fabunmi Olanipekun & Co. which got N419.5 million. Vintsolve Global Consult was also paid N558.8 million. Periscope Consulting got N277 million, Blue Trend Enterprise was N277.8 million, Laitop Dynamics Interlink Services got N277 million, Memak Nigeria Limited was paid N277 million, MC Van Management Consult Limited got N275.8 million while Danzinger Nigeria Limited- N275.8 million.
According to Ude, “Blue trend, has no record of being registered and the owner is unknown. Periscope Consulting-N277million. Periscope Consulting, with registration number 1053019, registered on July 24, 2012, is owned by one Ngozi Maureen Ojiego, known for Interior Decoration. Laitop Dynamics Interlink Services Ltd-N277million.
“Laitop with registration number 1340092, is owned by one Quburat Bolanle Bolanta. It was registered on June 6, 2016. Memak Nigeria Limited with no known ownership and date of registration got NN277million.
“MC Van Management Consult Limited with no records of registration also got N275.8million contract while Danzinger Nigeria Limited with registration number 635448, registered on Sep 23, 2005 got N275.8 million. Danzinger is owned by one Oladapo Rotimi Mohammed.
“All the contractors claimed they verified 11 million homes in Nigeria under one month,” Ude stated in an X post.