Minister Tunji-Ojo Responds to Accusations of His Company Securing Contract from Suspended Humanitarian Minister

In an exclusive interview on Politics Today, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, addressed allegations surrounding his association with New Planet Project Limited, a company that secured a consultancy contract from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

Tunji-Ojo clarified, “Almost five years ago, I resigned as director of the company, so I’m not a director. I resigned on February 1, 2019.”

The company, registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) on March 3, 2009, predates Tunji-Ojo’s initial election to the House of Representatives by a decade. He represented the Akoko North-East/Akoko North-West Federal Constituency in Ondo state from 2009 to 2023 before his appointment as Interior Minister by President Bola Tinubu.

The minister’s name surfaced amid the ongoing crisis within the Humanitarian Ministry. The suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, faced scrutiny for an alleged “illegal request” to transfer N858 million to a private bank account and approving flight fares for ministry staff to Kogi state, which lacks an airport.

Edu defended her actions, claiming they followed “due process.” However, Oluwatoyin Madein, the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), contradicted her, stating that the requested fund transfer was not executed, emphasizing that public funds should not be paid into any private bank account.

These developments unfolded after the suspension of Halima Shehu as the CEO of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) by President Bola Tinubu. Edu asserted that the leaked documents aimed to blackmail her for exposing “multi-billion naira” corruption in NSIPA.