CSO Gives Tunji-Ojo 48 Hours To Resign Over Alleged Corruption

iexclusivenews – A group of civil society organisations under the umbrella of the Coalition of Civil Society for Transparency and Accountability has demanded the resignation of the Minister of Interior, Mr. Olabunmi Tunji-Ojo, within 48 hours over his alleged role in a N3 billion fraud scandal in the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

The Coalition’s Statement

The coalition made the call in a statement signed by its convener, Comrade Kabir Matazu, and circulated to the media on Tuesday.

Matazu said that the coalition was alarmed by the revelations that the minister was involved in “massive corruption, misappropriation of funds and running a company, in violation of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers”.

The Minister’s Admission

According to reports, the minister confessed that he was still a shareholder in New Planet Project Limited, a company that received N438.1 million from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation under his suspended counterpart, Betta Edu, for consultancy services.

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The Suspicious Contracts

On Monday, it was reported that New Planet Project Limited was among the many consultants that got contracts from the N3 billion disbursed by the suspended minister for the National Social Register project.

The social register was established for cash transfers and other social welfare programmes.

A document shared by the editor of Pointblank News, Jackson Ude, showed that Tunji-Ojo’s New Planet Project Limited was first paid N279 million for verifying the list and then another N159 million for the same task.

A separate check by SaharaReporters revealed that the company had the interior minister and his wife, Abimbola, as directors.

The company also had one Gbadamasi Gbadamasi Clement as its secretary. It was registered on March 3, 2009, with registration number 804833.

The action, however, contravenes the Nigerian Constitution and the Code of Conduct law.

The Coalition’s Demands

The coalition said in the statement, “The behaviour of the Hon. Minister of Interior is appalling and contradicts the Code of Conduct for public officers in Nigeria, which clearly forbids the ownership and operation of private businesses while holding public office, except for agricultural and farming enterprises.

“We in the Coalition of Civil Society for Transparency and Accountability express our deep displeasure with the emerging revelations within the Federal Cabinet.

“It has become clear that some members of the cabinet are not in sync with the President’s vision to promote accountability and fiscal prudence in government.

“Therefore, we strongly demand Olabunmi Tunji-Ojo’s immediate resignation within 48 hours to pave the way for open and transparent investigations into the alleged malpractices committed by him and the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs.

“In view of these disturbing developments, the Coalition hereby issues a 48-hour ultimatum to Minister Tunji-Ojo to tender his resignation from office.

“Failure to comply will compel Nigerians to exercise their democratic rights through mass protests, expressing our dissatisfaction with the disturbing disclosures emanating from the President’s Cabinet.

“The Coalition urges all stakeholders and concerned citizens to join forces in ensuring transparency, ethical standard and compliance with established norms of public service with integrity.

“It is crucial that swift corrective actions are taken to restore public confidence and protect the integrity of government institutions.

“Finally, we cannot sit idly and watch Nigerian resources being looted and squandered by predators and parasites who infiltrated public office.”