The Minister of House Affairs, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has denied involvement within the N438.1 million consultancy contract between New Planet Venture Restricted and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
The PUNCH stories that President Bola Tinubu on Monday directed the Chairman of the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee, Ola Olukoyede, to research all monetary transactions involving the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
Dr. Betta Edu was the minister accountable for the ministry till the President suspended her on Monday.
The PUNCH stories that Edu got here underneath criticism after a leaked memo on December 20, 2023 revealed that she had instructed the Accountant-Common of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to switch N585m to a personal account owned by one Oniyelu Bridget, who the ministry claimed. is at present working as a undertaking accountant for subsidies for weak teams.
Nevertheless, some sections of the media are reporting that an organization owned by the Minister of Inside was allegedly paid N438.1 million by Edu as consultancy companies.
“The corporate, New Planet Venture Restricted, was among the many many consultants awarded N3 billion contracts by the suspended minister for the Nationwide Social Register contract,” the report mentioned.
Reacting, Tunji-Ojo, throughout his look on Channels TV Politics Right this moment on Monday night, revealed that he based the corporate a decade in the past however resigned as director in 2019 when he ran for the Home of Representatives.
The House Secretary, who described the report as stunning, mentioned he’s solely a shareholder within the firm and isn’t concerned within the day-to-day administration of New Planet Venture Restricted.
He mentioned: “I’ve to say this, I noticed it and I used to be shocked as a result of the corporate in query was an organization the place I used to be the director.
“I resigned from my directorship about 5 years in the past. Sure, I based the corporate 10 years in the past. In 2019 and after I entered the Home of Representatives, precisely after I gained the elections, I resigned. I resigned on February 4, 2019 with a Licensed True Copy from the Company Affairs Fee, approach again in 2019, to show this.”
Tunji-Ojo, who mentioned he got here into public workplace realizing full properly that Nigerians would ask questions, directed related businesses to research the contract processes.
He added: “I don't run the corporate. I’ve no information of the contract. I don't signal any accounts. I’m not a director of the corporate.
“The corporate is a public restricted firm, a personal entity. So if the corporate is a personal entity, after all I'm nonetheless a shareholder, and so far as I do know the general public service rule doesn't prohibit public officers from being shareholders.
“What the general public service rule says is that you just can’t be a director, which I had resigned from about 5 years in the past.
“I’ve nothing to do with it, completely nothing. As a result of I’m not concerned within the day-to-day administration of the corporate. I don't pursue company jobs. I'm not bidding on the corporate. I’m not a signatory to the corporate's account. I'm not concerned.
“So the corporate is an entity in itself. If that’s the case, the query must be: was the job given to the corporate? If the reply is sure. The query then is: did they comply with a good course of? It's a sure. Did the corporate get the job performed? If it's a sure. Then quantity three is that they delivered in accordance with the settlement of the contract? If it’s a no, they need to be punished by the e book.”
