The Network for Growth and Actualization of Viable Development (NEFGAD), a public procurement advocacy group, has faulted Minister of Interior, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo’s defence over his involvement in the controversial N3 billion contracts awarded by the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu.
The minister had denied personally benefitting through his company, New Planet Project Limited from the sum of N438.1 million from the alleged controversial N3 billion social register contracts given out by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
NEFGAD in a statement signed by its acting Head of Legal, Dolapo Obafunmi Esq. and released to the media on Thursday, stated that Mr Tunji-Ojo who is a shareholder in the New Planet Project Limited contravened section 16 subsection 6(f) of the Public Procurement Act 2007 by failing to accompany documents used in bidding for the contract with an affidavit disclosing whether or not Dr Edu, who is a member of the procuring entity has any pecuniary interest in New Planet Project Limited – the company where Mr Tunji-Ojo, a cabinet colleague, is a shareholder.
Obafunmi also said that Mr Tunji-Ojo’s company’s bid ought to have been disqualified for violating section 16 subsection 8(g) of the same PPA by failing to submit a statement regarding its dominating or subsidiary relationships with respect to Dr Edu who is acting on behalf of the procuring entity participating in the same proceeding.
New Planet Project Limited, with registration number 804833 was reportedly registered on March 3, 2009.
Although the minister said he had resigned as director of the company in 2019, he is still a shareholder in the company.
Obafunmi said that the Public Procurement Act in its bid to promote competition forbids a bidder and or any member of a procuring entity from conferring undue advantage to themselves during any procurement proceeding by virtue of their relationships.
Obafunmi averred that one of the core objectives and spirit of the Public Procurement Law is to ensure that the nation’s wealth is fairly distributed, maintaining that it is a sheer act of undue interference, greed and avarice to have a serving cabinet member interfering in affairs of sister ministry to an extent of influencing its procurement decision in his favour.
Obafunmi further maintained that beyond participating in the day-to-day running of a company, being a shareholder means Mr Tunji-Ojo is a person of control and benefit in the company and by virtue of his shareholding status, he ought to have simply complied with the relevant sections of the Public Procurement Law by declaring his interest in the company simply via a court affidavit.
‘’With these blatant breaches, it shows clearly that fundamental principles of public procurement were not followed in the award of the contract, everything about the contract is defective, making it impossible to achieve fitness of purpose or value for money.
“Mr Tunji Ojo should also know that his cabinet membership is ordinarily influential enough to sway cabinet colleague’s procurement decision in his favour hence calling the Minister to honorably apologise to Nigerians and resign immediately or face legal action,” Obafunmi said.
SaharaReporters had reported that the action was against the Nigerian Constitution and Code of Conduct law.
The Code of Conduct law, in sections 5 and 6, bars public officers from putting themselves in positions of conflict of interest and prevents them from partaking in any business other than farming.
Other beneficiaries of the N3 billion contract include Fabunmi Olanipekun & Co. which got N419.5 million. Vintsolve Global Consult was also paid N558.8 million.
Periscope Consulting got N277 million, Blue Trend Enterprise was N277.8 million, Laitop Dynamics Interlink Services got N277 million, Memak Nigeria Limited was paid N277 million, MC Van Management Consult Limited got N275.8 million while Danzinger Nigeria Limited- N275.8 million.
Tinubu appointed Tunji-Ojo as minister in August 2023 to coordinate the affairs of the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
He was later redeployed to the Ministry of Interior.