November 3, 2024

Anti-Corruption Group to Tinubu: Sack Interior Minister,Tunji-Ojo over Alleged Fraudulent Act

A Non-governmental organization operating in the South West States with its headquarters in Ibadan,Oyo state capital (Southwest Integrity Group) has petitioned President Bola Tinubu over alleged reckless looting of Nigeria’s common wealth by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji Ojo.

As anti corruption body, the group said its objective was among others to fight corruption and promote good governance in the country so as to actualize the renewed hope agenda.

In the letter signed by the group’s Chairman,Ogunleye Adebowale and Secretary Adeleye Adetutu, it said” against this premise we have been forced to present this petition to you to intimate to you on the reckless looting of our commonwealth by one of your Ministers , Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Honourable Minister of Interior. It is certain that Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo’s integrity has been compromised.
“We have come to the inevitable conclusion that corruption is taken a toll on your administration with the shameful conduct of Honourable Olubunmi Tunji Ojo on his alleged forgery of NYSC certificate which is still under litigation in a competent court of law and his recent involvement in the N585 million contracts he secured from the suspended Minister of Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu with his company, First Planets Project Limited which he and wife have interest.

“It is worth noting that the company which was registered on March 3, 2009, with registration number 804833, has Honourable Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, the Minister of Interior and his wife , Abimbola Tunji Ojo, listed as directors with one Gbadamosi Clement as the Company Secretary. Like NYSC like CAC certificate, up till now it is still on the website of Corporate Affairs Commission that Olubunmi Tunji Ojo and his wife are both directors in the said company but he has been moving from one media house to another with some documents that he has since resigned from the directorship of the company. We are still expecting EFCC and DSS to tell us the direct beneficiaries of the annual income of the company.

” We don’t need a lawyer before we know that Mr Olubunmi Tunji Ojo’s actions are direct violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which you sworn to defend and Code of Conduct Law prohibit public officers from engaging in conflicts of interest and participating in any business except farming. Mr Tunji Ojo should explain to Nigeria how he wouldn’t have directly influenced the awards of contracts to his company as a member of Federal Executive Council. He should just resign to save Nigeria from this embarrassment.

“Mr President, unless the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji Ojo and his company publish the details of the due process certification documents, the scope of job, the experts modules used and importantly the detail particulars of the eleven (11) million Nigerian households they claimed to have been verified within 25 working days , we would believe APC led Federal Government only shared the money meant for the poor to themselves .

“For your information Sir, Dr Betta Edu and Hon Olubumi Tunji Ojo and some other influential politicians in the villa planned the mass looting of the Ministry of Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation treasury from the beginning. if you think deeply about those who lobbied you to give the woman portfolio of Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation, you will know the reason Hon Olubunmi Tunji Ojo planted his former Legislative Aide, one Thalis Apalowo as the National Coordinator for Grants for Vulnerable Groups, as a frontier for himself.

“We are urging Mr President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to raise a panel why the former Acting Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mr Daniel Pondei led a walk out on the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta which was chaired by Hon Olubunmi Tunji Ojo when he was in House of Representatives between 2019-2023. Mr Daniel Pondei, the then Acting Managing Director of NNDC accused the Chairman of NNDC Committee in the House of Representatives, Hon Tunji Ojo of massive corruption in NDDC.

” He openly asked Hon Olubunmi Tunji Ojo to excuse himself from the investigation panel on July 16, 2020 because he was part of the corruption. This ugly and shameful incident made the then NDDC management team, House of Representatives Committee on NDDC chaired by Olubunmi Tunji Ojo to plan the sudden collapse of the then acting Managing Director of NDDC during the ongoing House Committee public hearing of NDDC on July 20, 2020. Mr President should please ask Rt. Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, the then speaker of House of Reps, Hon Tunji Olubunmi Ojo, and the then Acting Managing Director of NDDC, Mr Daniel Pondei why the probe panel seize to function from that day and how the whole probe was killed and burned after Daniel Pondei was rushed and discharged from the National Assembly Clinic, Abuja

“We hereby also request you to investigate the number of contracts Hon Olubunmi Tunji Ojo used the same New Planet Project Limited to take from NDDC throughout his four years in National Assembly .

“Mr President, the same Hon Olubunmi Tunji Ojo enmeshed in the NYSC certificate scandal and we know how some powerful cabal in the Villa intervened in the matter to save him from disgrace, when he claimed to have undergone the National Youth Service Scheme between 2019 and November 2020 and that his certifiable was issued in 2023 which has never happened in the history of Nigeria.

“We don’t need to dig into it again since the case is already before a competent court of jurisdiction. Now that you have used his good office to suspend Ms Halima Sheu from the North and Dr Betta Edu from the South South, we are also expecting him to suspend Olubunmi Tunji Ojo from the South West.

” We are hereby calling on the President to immediately suspend Hon Olubunmi Tunji Ojo from office to pave way for a comprehensive investigation into the alleged misconduct, corruption, criminal breach of trust, and unlawful enrichment levelled against him.

“We would be forced to believe that Presidency is not ready to fight corruption genuinely and that it is true there is cabal in the Aso Rock Villa protecting Hon Olubunmi Tunji Ojo from suspension and prosecution because he has been boastful around that he is “GBAJABIAMILA’S BOY” and that he is untouchable. We have resolved to embark on protests to National Assembly, foreign embassies, and write letter to International Transparency ( IT) if Honourable Olubunmi Tunji Ojo is not suspended or sacked within the next 48 hours”.

The group also called on the Inspector General of Police , Chairman, Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, Directorate of State Security (DSS) and other relevant agencies to intervene in the matter.