Nobody’s Above Law in Nigeria, Say EFCC, ICPC as Interrogators Grill Edu

•Say they’ll probe anyone not playing by the rules 

•Anti-graft agency quizzes bank chiefs

•Tunji-Ojo in Villa, affirms no cause for alarm 

•Afenifere seeks open, fair investigation

•Suspension not enough, Atiku’s aide declares

Emmanuel Addeh, Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha, and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday, questioned suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, over payment of N585 million public funds into a private account.

Edu’s interrogation came as heads of the country’s two anti-graft agencies, EFCC and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Ola Olukoyede and Musa Aliyu (SAN), respectively, vowed that no Nigerian was above the law. They made the declaration when Aliyu visited Olukoyede at the EFCC headquarters, in what they said was meant to deepen collaboration between the two anti-corruption agencies.

 Both men said the two agencies would investigate any public officer, who failed to play by the rules.

Olukoyede and Aliyu said events of the last 48 hours had shown beyond doubt President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to containing corruption in public offices.

Sources at EFCC said some bank chiefs were also invited by the commission in connection with the investigation of the suspended minister. The bank chiefs were later allowed to leave.

A source said, “We did not arrest them. We invited them to come and clarify issues of concern and they honoured our invitation, they have since left. We did not arrest them. Please, ignore social media reports.”

Equally, yesterday, Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who was, reportedly, linked with the N438 million contract awarded by Edu to New Planet Project, was sighted at State House, Abuja.

Tunji-Ojo told reporters there was no cause for alarm, and stressed that he was too intelligent to act stupid.

But Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) demanded the immediate suspension, investigation, and possible prosecution of Tunji-Ojo over his reported involvement in the alleged siphoning of N438 million poverty alleviation fund.

The pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, urged Tinubu to intensify the fight against corruption, calling on him to ensure transparent probe of the alleged sleaze in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

Similarly, public communications aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu, yesterday, declared that Edu’s suspension was commendable, but not enough.

THISDAY learnt that Edu arrived the EFCC headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, at 11am, and appeared before interrogators with her aides and lawyer.

At the time of filling this report, the minister was still responding to questions from investigators.

Edu’s appearance at the EFCC office came barely a day after she was suspended by Tinubu. She was caught in a N585 million disbursement scandal involving the humanitarian affairs ministry, which drew widespread criticism from rights groups and the public.

Olukoyede and Aliyu declared that the two agencies would investigate any public officer, who failed to act according to established guidelines. They said recent events left no one in doubt about Tinubu’s commitment to the fight against corruption in the country’s public life.

The meeting between Olukoyede and Aliyu had in attendance the chairmen and management staff of EFCC and ICPC, and it was aimed at deepening mutual cooperation and synergy for greater impact in Nigeria’s anti-corruption drive.

Aliyu stated that the visit to the EFCC was a show of commitment to the existing relationship between the two agencies. He expressed the readiness of ICPC, under his leadership, to provide the needed support and cooperation for the purpose of eradicating corruption in Nigeria.

Aliyu stated, “It is important for us to work together, and we cannot do this without a good relationship. That’s why I think I need to extend this hand of friendship to the EFCC so that we can effectively partner in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.

“I am aware that there’s an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) between the EFCC and ICPC and I’m willing and ready to partner whenever there’s any issue of interest in the fight against corruption.

“I’ll be reaching out to my brother and Chairman of EFCC on issues I think we can partner because there’s no need for us to be duplicating responsibilities, wasting resources and time.

“I hope with this first meeting, we are going to be meeting regularly to review what we are doing together.”

Olukoyede agreed with Aliyu on the need for collaboration. He said the meeting had also presented an opportunity for a review of the existing MoU between the two agencies.

“We have areas of similar mandates and with the population of about 250 million people, there’s so much in our hands and I can tell you that the enormity of the work demands that we work together,” he said.

The EFCC boss also said the political will of Tinubu to fight corruption, as demonstrated by recent events, was enough boost for anti-corruption agencies to give their best.

Olukoyede stated, “We believe that with the kind of president that we have, who is willing and ready to do the right thing, as demonstrated in the last 48 hours, it is clear that the president is providing the political will and the leadership for the anti-corruption agencies to work and I believe that with this, there’s no hiding place for us and we must ensure that we give our best.

“We are going to give the president the right support and we believe that the courage would be there to take the right decisions.

“Nobody is too big to be investigated in this country. Once you are not playing to the rules, we’ll investigate you.”

Tunji-Ojo in Villa, Says No Cause for Alarm

Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who was reportedly linked with the N438 million contract awarded by Edu to his company, New Planet Project, was seen at State House, Abuja, yesterday, where he dismissed the allegations against him.

There were, however, conflicting reports about Tunji-Ojo’s presence at the seat of government as early as 10am. There were insinuations in some quarters that he was summoned by Tinubu to explain the controversy, while others maintained that he was there on a routine visit.

A presidency source, who stated emphatically that Tunji-Ojo was not summoned, stressed that the issue of the contentious contract award might have been raised with the minister if he actually met with the president.

It was not clear whether Tunji-Ojo met with Tinubu, who had to reschedule many of his engagements yesterday because of other pressing issues, such as emerging developments from Niger Republic, where the military junta had released some members of the overthrown president’s family from detention.

However, when asked by newsmen to comment on the contract controversy before leaving the Villa about 2.05pm, the minister boasted, “We are too intelligent to be stupid.”

He had already denied any involvement in the N438 million contract awarded to New Planet Project Limited that he co-founded.

Tunji-Ojo explained in an interview Monday night on national television that he was no longer involved in the running of the firm, having resigned as a director in 2019.

Special adviser on media to the interior minister, Babatunde Alao, clarified the purpose of his principal’s visit to the seat of government, and said he was there to brief the president on the recently launched online passport portal.

According to a release by Alao, “Contrary to news flying on the social media space, Nigerian Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, visited the seat of power, Aso Rock, on Tuesday, to brief President Bola Tinubu on the outcome of recently launched online passport portal.

“The minister’s visit to Aso Rock was to keep an earlier scheduled meeting with the president.”

He added that the minister was not summoned.

According to Alao, “The minister only visited Aso Rock to keep an earlier scheduled meeting with President Tinubu. The sensational social media headline that says the minister was summoned to Aso Rock was quite misleading and should be discountenanced by Nigerians.”

Three other ministers were also at State House yesterday, but they could not see the president because of his busy schedule. The minister were Hanatu Musawa (Arts and Creative Economy), Shuaibu Audu (Steel Development), and Adebayo Adelabu (Power).

PDP Demands Tunji-Ojo’s Suspension, Investigation

PDP, yesterday, demanded the immediate suspension, investigation, and possible prosecution of Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, over his reported involvement in the alleged siphoning of N438 million poverty alleviation fund under Edu.

The party also described as inexcusable the fact that the two ministers directly entrusted with the wellbeing of Nigerians reportedly used a company in which Tunji-Ojo had huge interest to allegedly siphon funds meant for poor Nigerians under the guise of consultancy fee for unsubstantiated verification of households in the country.

A statement by National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said, “The PDP demands that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu take immediate action to protect the resources meant for the wellbeing of poor Nigerians from further plundering by suspending the interior minister over the alleged fraud and hand him over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for investigation like his suspended counterparts.”

Ologunagba said Nigerians were appalled by the lame excuse of Tunji-Ojo in claiming that he had no interest in the company, despite his confession of owning huge shares in the firm; a channel through which he allegedly benefitted immensely from the said fraudulent consultancy fee payment.

The statement said, “Such apparent money laundering stunt is again consistent with the crafty character and proclivity of the APC for plundering of public resources.

“This is especially given allegations in the public space that the bulk of the money was diverted to private accounts of cronies of prominent APC leaders in the National Assembly and the Presidency.”

PDP challenged the interior minister to publish the details of the due process certification documents, the scope of job, the experts and modules used as well as particulars of the 11 million Nigerian households claimed to have been verified within a space of one month.

Afenifere Seeks Open, Fair Investigation

Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba socio-political group, urged Tinubu to intensify the fight against corruption in the country, calling on him to ensure transparent probe of the alleged sleaze in the humanitarian affairs ministry.

In a statement by its National Organising Secretary, Kole Omololu, Afenifere stated that as a group deeply committed to the progress and wellbeing of the country, it was ready to provide support in the battle against corruption.

Afenifere stressed that it strongly believed that eradicating corruption was essential for creating an environment that would promote sustainable development, equal opportunities, and social justice for all Nigerians.

Omololu said, “Given recent revelations regarding alleged corruption within the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, we urge the president to initiate a thorough investigation into these allegations.

“It is crucial to meticulously examine every aspect of the ministry’s financial transactions to ensure transparency and accountability.

“Additionally, we call for a comprehensive investigation into the financial transactions associated with The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, as well as a forensic audit of the ministry and the companies involved in the excessively inflated consultancy’s verification fees.”

Afenifere raised concerns about the expenditure of almost N4 billion on verifying beneficiaries and questioned how much money would be left to disburse to the verified beneficiaries from the limited resources of the country.

The organisation insisted it believed that no one should be exempted from the investigation, as the government under Tinubu’s leadership must set an example and demonstrate unwavering commitment to the principles of good governance.

The group emphasised the importance of conducting the investigation without any interference or bias, ensuring a fair and just process, noting that the Nigerian people have entrusted Tinubu with their confidence.

Atiku’s Aide: Edu’s Suspension Not Enough

Special Assistant to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, was commendable, but not enough.

Shaibu, in a statement, said it was unfortunate that a programme designed to lift over 100 million Nigerians out of extreme poverty had become a cash cow for successive APC governments.

He stated, “While Tinubu deserves commendation for suspending Edu, we believe this is a belated move. Firstly, he had no business appointing her as a minister of such a sensitive ministry, in the first place.

“Tinubu put politics ahead of competence, hence, this scandal. What experience did Betta have in the development sector? How was Imaan Ibrahim, with her wealth of experience, overlooked?

“How did the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, stand as Betta Edu’s referee during her clearance at the Senate?”

Shaibu also drew the attention of the public to other leaks, which showed that the ministry under Edu’s, gave a company owned by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, a total amount of N438.1 million for consultancy services.

He said, “To be fair, it is not only Betta Edu that was involved in this shady transactions. More documents show that the Minister of Interior’s company also benefitted. Reports suggest that others in the Tinubu government got cash from this same ministry under the dubious Renewed Hope Initiative.

“Betta Edu should not be the fall guy. Others who have remotely and wickedly benefitted from money that was meant for poor Nigerians ought to be fished out, probed, and prosecuted, too. It is demonic and tendentiously wicked to steal in the name of the poor.

“Further leaks showed that millions were released by Betta Edu to fund a flight to a non-existent Kogi airport. They must have used witchcraft airways.”

Shaibu said there was need for the government to reform the humanitarian affairs ministry and other interventionist programmes that had become an ATM and POS for those in power.