…Critics: Tunji-Ojo must Go Now!
By Ken Afor
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Tuesday failed to appear for the scheduled meeting with interrogators of Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) over an ongoing investigation bordering on alleged ethical breaches, especially those of the Code of Conduct for public officers.
Reports reveal that the Minister wrote a submission to the CCB, pleading for more time to appear before its panel and specifically requesting that his appointment be rescheduled to a later date.
According to the minister, this is to enable him attend to some pressing national assignments.
It would be recalled that the CCB had extended an invitation to Tunji-Ojo, requesting him to appear before it at its headquarters, Federal Secretariat, Abuja on Tuesday, between 10am and 1pm.
But, according to reports, it was gathered that the minister did not show up at the bureau.
Veronica Kato, the representative of the CCB, revealed that the minister’s interrogation would be rescheduled for a future date as he submitted a memo to the bureau referring to a national assignment which coincides with the earlier date.
No specific date was given.
“Yes, the minister’s interrogation has been rescheduled. He wrote, asking that it be rescheduled because he has a national assignment, so it has been rescheduled for a later date,” Punch reported, quoting Kato.
“We don’t have a precise date now, but it has been rescheduled to another day,” she said.
The New Diplomat recalls that the embattled minister was invited by the CCB regarding his company’s participation in a ₦438 million contract with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
It was alleged that a company, New Planet Projects, reportedly owned by the Minister, profited from the alleged contract scam by the Ministry amounting to a total sum of N3bn.
Although, the minister had claimed that he resigned from company’s board in 2019 when he contested for the House of Representatives, Nigerians are puzzled as to his ignorance or failure to observe ethical issues of conflict of interest.
Dr Segun Akomogun, a policy analyst knocked the Minister accusing him of deliberately telling lies as the matter borders on conflict of interest.
According to the policy analyst, “Tunji-Ojo should simply resign because it is a matter of conflict of interest. Your wife whom you share the same house, room with is the MD of the company, and you are still a share holder as you didn’t put your interest under blind trust! I recall that during former President Obasanjo’s time, Barth Nnaji who was a power minister was asked to resign over his company’s participation in a power project bid! He ought to have resigned by now! Nigerians should come out on the streets to lead a protest calling for his resignation now!”
