NOBODY'S ABOVE LAW IN NIGERIA, SAY EFCC, ICPC AS INTERROGATORS GRILL EDU

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 sociopolitical 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.