The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has informed the Nigerian Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) that he will not be appearing before the Bureau on Tuesday for questioning regarding his connection to New Planet Projects Limited.
The company allegedly received a N438 million consultancy contract from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
The minister cited official duty as the reason for not being able to attend the scheduled meeting and requested the CCB authorities to reschedule the session and communicate the new date to his team.
New Planet Project Limited, linked to the minister, was paid N438.1 million by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs for consultancy services.
The company, in which the minister and his wife are listed as directors, received payments for verification services related to the National Social Register contract.
The reported payments raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest, as public officers are barred by the Code of Conduct law from putting themselves in positions of conflict and engaging in businesses other than farming while in office.
The minister denied personally benefiting from the controversial contracts and defended his involvement, but the Network for Growth and Actualization of Viable Development (NEFGAD), a public procurement advocacy group, criticized his defense.
The CCB’s invitation is part of the ongoing investigation into the matter.
