The Office of the Vice President of Nigeria reportedly paid the sum of N10 million to cover hotel bills incurred by guests of Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, the daughter of Bola Tinubu, a prominent political figure. The payment, made on November 17, 2023, was directed to Royal Pacific Group, as indicated in records found on the BudgIT Govspend platform sourced from the publicly available Open Treasury Portal.
The payment description specified that it was made for the settlement of hotel accommodation bills for the service rendered to guests of Mrs. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo. Folashade Tinubu-Ojo holds the title of Iyaloja-General of Nigeria and is a leader of Nigerian traders. Despite not holding an elected government office, she has referred to herself as the first daughter of the Federal Republic of Nigeria since May 2023.
FIJ, the source of this information, discovered a series of payments dating back to June 11, 2019, made by various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to Royal Pacific Group for accommodation purposes. However, this particular payment stands out as the first instance of a payment to the company for guests of a private citizen.
Efforts to contact Ibrahim Hadejia, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President in the Office of the Vice President, were reportedly unsuccessful. Additionally, attempts to reach Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, were not successful at the time of reporting. FIJ’s investigation raises questions about the use of public funds for private individuals and the transparency of such transactions.
