How Aisha Rimi, Tinubu’s NIPC Appointee, was Indicted for Alleged N3 Billion Fraud against Lagos State Government

Aisha Rimi, who was recently appointed as the CEO of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) by President Bola Tinubu, has been found to have a shadowy past. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has indicted her for her alleged involvement in the diversion of N3 billion in Lagos state government funds.

The investigation dates back to 2018 when the National Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) uncovered suspicious inflows exceeding N3 billion from the Lagos state government’s Number Plate Production Authority into accounts held by both Aisha Rimi and her companies, Rimi and Partners and Ekosina Investment Limited. Aisha Rimi was the sole proprietor of the law firm.

According to EFCC lawyer Olamide Sadiq, “Investigations revealed that Aisha Rimi is the major partner in Rimi and Partners and she is also in control of Ekosina Investment Limited, a company seen to have received huge transfers from the Lagos state government Number Plate Production Authority.” At that time, Aisha Rimi’s husband, Folorunsho Coker, was the managing director of the Number Plate Authority, raising suspicions that government funds may have been diverted with his knowledge, implicating him as the primary suspect, and Aisha Rimi as a potential accomplice in the alleged fraud. Her two companies were listed as the second and third respondents in the EFCC’s legal action.

As a result of the investigation, Mohammed Idris, a judge at the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court, ordered the immediate freezing of ten Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) accounts belonging to Aisha Rimi and her companies. “From preliminary investigations by the commission, the second and third respondents were used to divert funds from the Lagos state government Number Plate Production Authority with the influence of Folorunsho Coker, who was the managing director of the Lagos state agency,” explained Mr. Sadiq.

One key question that remains unanswered is whether the EFCC informed President Bola Tinubu of the serious fraud charges against Aisha Rimi before her appointment as CEO of the NIPC. There is also uncertainty regarding whether the anti-graft agency concluded its investigation in 2018. EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwajuren did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether their findings were shared with President Tinubu.

The presidency has also refrained from commenting on whether President Tinubu was aware of the allegations against Aisha Rimi before her appointment. This revelation raises concerns as it is not the first time that individuals with questionable records have been appointed to top government positions, as seen with Femi Gbajabiamila, who now serves as the president’s chief of staff despite having his law license terminated by the State Bar of Georgia in the United States due to corruption and ethical lapses.