Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has invited the Minister of Interior, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, over an alleged breach of the code of conduct for public officers.
This is coming as the bureau reportedly commenced an investigation into the alleged breach regarding the scandal rocking the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in which the name of the Interior Minister featured prominently.
In a letter of invitation dated January 10, 2024, the CCB said Mr Tunji-Ojo’s invitation was in pursuance to its mandate and powers as enshrined in the Third Schedule, Part I, Paragraph 3 (e) to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
The letter of invitation was signed by the Director of Intelligence, Investigation and Monitoring, Mr S.P. Gwimi.
The Minister, it was gathered, is to appear before the bureau on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, at the headquarters of the agency located at the Federal Secretariat Complex, Abuja.
It will be recalled that the minister has been in the news recently on an alleged breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, particularly, a conflict of interest in the execution of a contract awarded to a company belonging to him by the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Mrs Betta Edu.
A company named New Planet Projects, allegedly belonging to the Minister and his wife benefitted from a “consultancy fee” in the alleged contract of the social register from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.
Mr Tunji-Ojo refuted claims, saying he ceased to be a director of the organisation a few years ago and was now just a shareholder. The firm was said to have received a N438 million contract from the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs.
Reacting to the allegation in an interview, Mr Tunji-Ojo said, “I am not a signatory to the company.”
“And actually, I was shocked because the company in question was a company where I was a director. About five years ago, I had resigned from my directorship,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Minister admitted his role in co-founding the company with his wife and attributed his resignation in 2019 from the firm to his political ambitions.
“I and my wife founded the company 15 years years ago. Well, in 2019, when I got to the House of Representatives I won the election precisely, I made a change, I resigned as director of the company to hold office.”
“Of course, and to the best of my knowledge, the public service rule does not prohibit public officers from being shareholders,” he said on Channels TV last Monday
