Uchechukwu Okoroafor, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu recently suspended the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Betta Edu, following widespread anger over an alleged N585 million scandal. The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, had disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists. “In line with his avowed commitment to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in the management of the commonwealth of Nigerians, President Bola Tinubu suspends the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, from office with immediate effect,” the statement read.
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It was also reported that President Tinubu had summoned the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, over his alleged involvement in the controversial N438 million contract scandal involving the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu. A leaked memo being circulated online showed that a firm linked to the minister received a substantial sum labeled as ‘consultancy fees’ from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
Mr. Tunji-Ojo had earlier, in a television interview, denied any involvement in the contract, explaining that he resigned his directorship of the company in 2019. Mr. Tunji-Ojo said he co-founded the New Planet Project with his wife 15 years ago but resigned as a director in 2019 upon winning a seat in the House of Representatives.
The investigation into the sleaze in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation deepened with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) investigators quizzing several top civil servants linked to the scandals. It has also been learned that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) recovered N50 billion from the humanitarian affairs ministry. The money, which was about to be embezzled, was recovered by the ICPC between July and August 2023 and paid into the Central Bank of Nigeria. The fund, which was meant for vulnerable citizens during the tenure of former Minister Sadiya Umar-Farouq, was blocked during attempts to transfer it into private bank accounts and recovered by the ICPC under its former Chairman, Bolaji Owasanoye.
As far as we are concerned, what the Tinubu administration is doing is not fighting corruption. One of the ways to convince Nigerians that the administration is fighting corruption is to investigate the ministers that served under former president Muhammadu Buhari, because that government was the most corrupt in Nigeria’s history.
Already, allegations against some of them are in the public domain. A group, the Coalition Against Corruption, in August 2020 wrote a petition against Abubakar Malami.
In a letter sent to President Muhammadu Buhari, tagged Compilation of Corruption Allegations and Abuse of Office Against the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, three leading anti-corruption groups call for an immediate probe of the Minister.
The petition, which was signed by Olanrewaju Suraju, Chairman, Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC), a coalition of some 150 civil society organizations spread across the country, Debo Adeniran, Chairman, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) and Ezenwa Nwagwu, Co-Founder, Say No Campaign, listed 14 high-profile corruption allegations against Malami.
The allegations range from financial sleaze involving him and his family to influence peddling. “It has to be now or never. There are very strong allegations of corruption against Mr. Abubakar Malami with clear evidence,” the coalition said.
Top on the list of allegations against Malami is the alleged auctioning of sea vessels holding crude oil seized by the Federal Government, saying it violated Sections 31(2) and (4) of the EFCC Act 2004.
“The AGF also authorized the sale of these vessels by companies under EFCC prosecution for a similar offence of illegal bunkering, and this action was admitted by the AGF through his media aide, pleading presumption of innocence on the part of the accused in the case being prosecuted by the Federal Government through EFCC.”
The coalition also accused Malami of twisting the law to shield his family members, corrupt officials, and institutions in the most brazen manners. Malami was said to be responsible for the reinstatement of Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), into the Federal Civil Service Commission without due process. “He also filed for the discontinuation of a N25 billion criminal charge against Senator Danjuma Goje without any justification, after over seven years of diligent investigation and prosecution by the EFCC, whereas in June this year, he allegedly withdrew criminal charges against soldiers who were accused of killing police officers and a civilian in the bid to aid the escape of Wadume, a millionaire kidnapper.”
The coalition also explained that “on November 18, 2018, Mr. Malami, through a lawyer from his office, Mr. Pius Akuta, came to Lagos High Court to withdraw a case of fraud filed by the EFCC against one Dr. John Abebe, a businessman and younger brother to the late Stella Obasanjo, but the EFCC resisted the illegal move before Justice Dada of the Lagos High Court on the ground that the AGF has no constitutional power to take over a case filed in Lagos High Court.”
Other examples listed included the withdrawal of the case against the Chairman, Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), and Mr. Danladi Yakubu for criminal charges; the demand for the withdrawal of the cases against Bello Adoke, Diezani Alison-Madueke, and others involved in the Malabu scandal; and his halting investigation of huge fraud in the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NISRAL). The Malabu scam involves the controversial OPL 245, which has seen Nigeria recover some $78 million from individuals already convicted in Italy as oil giants linked with the graft continue to face prosecution in Milan. The former AGF was said to have sent a letter ordering the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission, (ICPC), the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to stop the investigation of the NIRSAL scam. He was said to have described the investigations as an “unhealthy competition” and “sheer waste of government resources.”
Malami is also accused of being the kingpin in the alleged duplicity of paying $16.9 million in fees to two friends as new lawyers for the recovery of the loot traced to a former Nigerian Head of State, Sanni Abacha, after a Swiss lawyer hired and fully paid by the previous government, Enrico Monfrini, to help in the recovery had completed his brief as reported. Malami was said to have barred the prosecution of the former Comptroller General of Customs, Mohammed Inde Dikko, through a suspicious deal between the AGF and the immediate past DSS Director on one side and the Comptroller General of Customs to refund $8 million to the Federal Government. The case was discontinued as Justice Dimgba refused to allow further prosecution of this matter under the guise that Mr. Dikko had kept his promise under the agreement by refunding N1,576,000,000 and more to the FG through the EFCC funds recovery account in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The FG earlier accused Mr. Dikko of stealing over N40 billion.
The group said its investigations and media reports suggest that Malami owns assets worth billions, far ahead of what he owned before his appointment as the country’s AGF. Some of the properties listed in his name were worth millions of naira. Rayhaan Hotels worth about N500 million, located at opposite Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Zaria Road, Kano State; a property worth about N600 million located at Ahmadu Bello Way, Nasarawa GRA, Kano; a newly constructed school at the back of Nitel at Gesse Phase 1, Birni Kebbi worth about N700 million; a multimillion-naira property built by Mr. Malami for his son located at Gesse Phase II in Birni Kabbi worth over N400 million; a mansion known as Azbir Arena allegedly built by Mr. Malami for his second son. Azbir Arena is an entertainment centre worth over N3 billion, with a big plaza, kids playing center, and hotel all combined in one expansive property. The immediate past Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika’s, naked impunity of an alleged swindle over the Nigeria Air project needs to be investigated. No serving or ex-ministers enjoy constitutional immunity. Even the presidents and governors who are given that privilege lose it after their tenure of office. So, what is stopping the prosecution of Sirika?
Every well-meaning voice in Nigeria is yelling for Hadi Sirika’s arrest and questioning over the Nigeria Air affair, which he single-handedly perpetrated in cahoots with Ethiopian Airline officials and other actors. Sirika purported to have floated the airline as a “national carrier” when, in truth, the single aircraft that was “unveiled” on May 26, 2023, was a hurriedly repainted, chartered aircraft still carrying Ethiopian registration marks. That anybody could summon the gumption to execute such a bare-faced, last-minute scam on Nigerians is an audacious challenge for every one of us to do our worst if we can.
The Nigeria Air scam was only one of the major scandals associated with Sirika’s name. Way back in 2017, it was rumoured that the Minister spent $600,000 on logo design contracted to a Bahraini company before the project, then known as Air Nigeria, was suspended. Sirika denied the amount but failed to say how much was spent. Later, the Federal Government budgeted up to N800 million between 2017 and 2018, when the blind pursuit of the project was resumed. Sirika was also under fire for spending N12 billion to purchase 10 fire trucks, meaning that each truck cost N1.2 billion! This former minister obviously has questions to answer.
A probe by the House of Representatives and submissions by the interim Managing Director of the supposed Nigeria Air, Captain Dapo Olumide, at the House probe indicted the former Minister. Since then, Nigerians and groups from various backgrounds have been calling for Hadi Sirika to be brought to book.
If the Bola Tinubu government is serious about fighting corruption, let him prosecute Malami and Sirika, among others, instead of this Betta Edu distraction.