The Network for Growth and Actualization of Viable Development (NEFGAD), a public procurement advocacy group, has criticized the defense put forth by the Minister of Interior, Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, regarding his involvement in the controversial N3 billion contracts awarded by the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu.
The minister denied personally benefiting from his company, New Planet Project Limited, which allegedly received N438.1 million from the contentious N3 billion social register contracts issued by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
In a statement released to the media on Thursday and signed by its acting Head of Legal, Dolapo Obafunmi, Esq., NEFGAD argued that Mr. Tunji-Ojo, a shareholder in New Planet Project Limited, violated Section 16 Subsection 6(f) of the Public Procurement Act 2007.
This violation occurred as he failed to accompany the bidding documents with an affidavit disclosing whether or not Dr. Edu, a member of the procuring entity, had any financial interest in New Planet Project Limited.
Obafunmi emphasized that Mr. Tunji-Ojo’s company’s bid should have been disqualified for contravening Section 16 Subsection 8(g) of the Public Procurement Act by not submitting a statement regarding its dominating or subsidiary relationships with respect to Dr. Edu, who was acting on behalf of the procuring entity participating in the same proceeding.
New Planet Project Limited, registered on March 3, 2009, with registration number 804833, still counts Mr. Tunji-Ojo as a shareholder, despite his claim of resigning as a director in 2019.
According to Obafunmi, the Public Procurement Act seeks to promote fair competition and prohibits any bidder or member of a procuring entity from gaining undue advantage during procurement proceedings due to their relationships.
He asserted that as a shareholder, Mr. Tunji-Ojo, beyond participating in the day-to-day operations, holds control and benefits in the company.
Therefore, he should have adhered to relevant sections of the Public Procurement Law by declaring his interest in the company through a court affidavit.
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Obafunmi argued that Mr. Tunji-Ojo’s interference in the affairs of a sister ministry, influencing procurement decisions in his favor, reflects a blatant act of undue interference, greed, and avarice, contradicting the core objectives and spirit of the Public Procurement Law aimed at ensuring fair distribution of the nation’s wealth.
‘’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.
Reports indicate that the action taken was in violation of both the Nigerian Constitution and the Code of Conduct.
Sections 5 and 6 of the Code of Conduct explicitly prohibit public officers from engaging in activities that lead to conflicts of interest and restrict them from participating in any business endeavors, except for farming.
Among the beneficiaries of the N3 billion contract, Fabunmi Olanipekun & Co. received N419.5 million, Vintsolve Global Consult was allocated N558.8 million, Periscope Consulting obtained N277 million, Blue Trend Enterprise secured N277.8 million, Laitop Dynamics Interlink Services was granted N277 million, Memak Nigeria Limited received N277 million, MC Van Management Consult Limited was awarded N275.8 million, and Danzinger Nigeria Limited also received N275.8 million.
Tunji-Ojo, appointed as a minister by Tinubu in August 2023 to oversee the newly established Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, was subsequently reassigned to the Ministry of Interior.
(SaharaReporters)