Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the interior minister, received N438 million in consulting fees from Betta Edu’s company.

According to information gathered by SaharaReporters, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation under Betta Edu paid a company owned by Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo a total of N438.1 million for consulting services.

Among the many consultants that received contracts worth N3 billion from the suspended minister for the National Social Register contract was New Planet Project Limited.

For the purpose of cash transfers and other social investment initiatives, the social register was developed.

As per a document shared by Jackson Ude, the editor of Pointblank News, Tunji-Ojo’s New Planet Project Limited received N279 million as payment for verifying the list, and an additional N159 million for the same purpose.

SaharaReporters’ independent investigation showed that the company has the interior minister and his wife, Abimbola as directors.

The secretary of the company, which was registered on March 3, 2009, under registration number 804833, is also identified as One Gbadamasi Clement.

Nonetheless, the conduct is illegal under the Nigerian Code of Conduct and the Constitution.

Sections 5 and 6 of the Code of Conduct law prohibit public officials from engaging in any business activity other than farming and from placing themselves in situations where a conflict of interest may arise.

A further recipient of N419.5 million from the N3 billion contract is Fabunmi Olanipekun & Co. Additionally, N558.8 million was given to Vintsolve Global Consult.

Laitop Dynamics Interlink Services received N277 million, Memak Nigeria Limited received N277 million, Blue Trend Enterprise received N277.8 million, Periscope Consulting received N277 million, and MC Van Management Consult Limited received N275.8 million while Danzinger Nigeria Limited- N275.8 million.

“Blue Trend Enterprise received N277.8 million from the N3 billion contracts, among other companies that benefited.”

“Blue Trend is unidentified as the owner and has no registration history. N277 million for Periscope Consulting. Owner Periscope Consulting, registered on July 24, 2012, under registration number 1053019, is Ngozi Maureen Ojiego, a well-known interior decorator. N277 million is Laitop Dynamics Interlink Services Ltd.

Owner of the Laytop, which has registration number 1340092, is Quburat Bolanle Bolanta. The date of registration was June 6, 2016. Memak Nigeria Limited received N7 million on the date of registration, but its ownership is unknown.

Danzinger Nigeria Limited, which registered on September 23, 2005, with registration number 635448, received N275.8 million in contract, while MC Van Management Consult Limited, which had no registration records, also received N275.8 million. The owner of Danzinger is Oladapo Rotimi Mohammed.

In a tweet, Ude said, “All the contractors claimed they verified 11 million homes in Nigeria in under one month.”

SaharaReporters was informed by a source that the interior minister might have obtained the contract via Thalis Apalowo, his former assistant and coordinator of the National Programme Manager, Grant for Vulnerable Groups.

Apalowo served as legislative aide to Tunji-Ojo while he was representing Akoko North Federal constituency at the National Assembly.

The source told SaharaReporters, “He is his close aide and was the one who lobbied for his appointment as coordinator of programme under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.”

One of the minister’s advanced team members, Apalowo, was given N2,515,000 for DTA for five nights, with local running at 30% of DTA, as well as money for plane tickets and airport taxis to Kogi — a state with no airport.

According to a report by SaharaReporters, Edu requested that public funds be transferred to a private account held by Oniyelu Bridget Mojisola, who the minister had designated as a project manager. This request was made to Mrs. Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein, the Accountant General of the Federation.

The minister gave his approval for the distribution of N585,198,500.00 into a private account.

SaharaReporters also revealed on Sunday that, despite Kogi State’s lack of an airport, her ministry had approved funding for her team’s airfare and airport transportation from Abuja.

On Monday, President Tinubu ordered an investigation into the minister’s alleged fraudulent activities and suspended Edu.