The Young Progressive Party (YPP) has urgently called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, over his alleged involvement in a controversial contract within the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, as reported by Headlinenews.news.
Warning of potential repercussions, the party stated that a failure to suspend the minister within 48 hours would prompt them to mobilize youths nationwide for a shutdown of Abuja on Monday, January 15, 2024.
In an open letter addressed to Tinubu on Tuesday night, the National Chairman of the YPP, Comrade Emmanuel Bishop Amakiri, cited abuse of office as the primary reason for demanding the minister’s suspension.
The YPP claimed to possess evidence indicating Tunji-Ojo’s complicity in fraudulent activities within the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation under the leadership of Dr. Betta Edu. The party urged Tinubu to take legal actions against the minister to set a precedent and deter others.
According to the letter, “We have gathered evidence that a company owned by Minister Tunji Ojo, New Planet Project Limited, was paid a total of N438.1 million by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation under the leadership of Dr. Betta Edu, for consultancy services.”
The payment was linked to the N3 billion awarded to various consultants for the National Social Register contract, intended for cash transfers and social investment programs. The YPP disclosed that payments to Tunji Ojo’s company included N279 million for list verification and an additional N159 million for the same purpose.
Highlighting potential conflicts of interest, the letter emphasized that Minister Tunji Ojo and his wife, Abimbola, are listed as directors of the company, New Planet Project Limited, registered on March 3, 2009. The YPP argued that such actions violate the Nigerian Constitution and the Code of Conduct law, which prohibit public officers from engaging in conflicts of interest and participating in businesses other than farming.
The YPP concluded that a contract of this magnitude could not have been approved without the consent of the Federal Executive Council Meeting, of which Minister Tunji Ojo is a Member, adding weight to their call for immediate suspension.
