Tunji-Ojo, other ministers visit Aso Rock, fail to see Tinubu

…as EFCC probes Edu

Several ministers, including Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, who is in charge of the Ministry of Interior, on Monday, called at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, as the Federal Government beams searchlight on their activities.

Tunji-Ojo is currently in the eye of the storm over a N438m consultancy fee paid to a company he has an interest and is linked to Betta Edu, the suspended minister of Humanitarian Affairs, who is being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The interior minister was said to have been summoned by the presidency.

BusinessDay, however, gathered that President Bola Tinubu could not see the minister, as he (Tinubu) was said to have been busy attending to other matters.

Tunji-Ojo, who was approached while leaving the Villa, on why he visited, only said, “It is well.”

Other ministers that visited the Villa were Maigari Ahmadu, minister of Steel Development; Hannatu Musawa, minister of Arts and Creative Economy, and Adebayo Adelabu, the minister of Power.

It was not immediately clear whether they were also summoned, or the visits were part of their routine briefing of the president.

A source at the Presidential Villa noted that the president was unable to receive the ministers.

Tunji-Ojo had made frantic efforts on Monday night during his appearance on a national television station, defending his company’s involvement in the humanitarian ministry contract scandal.

There were reports that a company owned by the minister, New Planet Projects Limited, was paid N438m by Edu for consultancy services.

But while featuring on Channels TV’s Politics Today, on Monday night, Tunji-Ojo said he founded the company ten years ago, but he resigned from its directorship in 2019 when he contested for the House of Representatives.