Osun's Taofeek Ajilesoro Became Rep Member in 2019. His Company Began to Handle Constituency Projects

Perinni & Co International Ltd, a real estate and consulting services company registered in Lagos State, has been executing federal projects in the Ife Central/Ife North/Ife South/Ife East Federal Constituency of Osun State that Taofeek Abimbola Ajilesoro represents. Interestingly, ownership and control of the company is linked with Ajilesoro and two other individuals, according to the data retrieved from NG.Checks, a platform which gathers information about Nigerian companies from public records and sources. Currently in the twilight of his second term, Ajilesoro was elected as a member of the House of Representatives in 2019 and 2023 as a candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He's set to contest in the 2027 general election for a third term. READ ALSO: Transformer Has Powered Nothing Since Rep Lukman Mudashiru Sent It to Osun Community 10 Months Ago Ajilesoro's company was registered at Block 78, Plot 6E, Aderinle Banjo Avenue, Magodo GRA, Lagos State on February 27, 2014, with registration number 1174248. Other registered directors of the company were Adekunle Adedapo Sikiru and Ipadeola Abimbola Olatubosun, but Adekunle was listed on the company's website as the executive director. On September 3, accountability platform Tracka showed that Perinni was handling the rehabilitation of Odelabu Street in Igboya, Ile-Ife, Osun State, for which N249 million was allocated through the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute. A project board at the site names Ajilesoro as the facilitator. Tracka reported that the project was ongoing. The project board. Credit: Tracka. FIJ found that, out of the total allocation, evidence of the release of N101,985,077 to the company had been published on government spending tracker govspend.ng. OTHER PROJECTS Taofeek Abimbola Ajilesoro and Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, whose former company New Planet Project Limited company was once embroiled in a similar scandal. Source: Ajilesoro's Facebook page. The company has received the bids to handle some other contracting and procurement works in Ajilesoro's constituency in the past years. On October 8, 2024, the National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM) paid it N18,689,920 for the 'provision of integrated all in one solar streetlight in Ife Federal Constituency'. Between December 29 and 31, 2024, the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) also disbursed N62,572,347 to the company for procurement and assemblage, training of 40 youths on solar tech installation, and installation of starter packs at the agency's office in the constituency. In a single day in February, the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria headquartered in Ibadan separately released N41,910,840 to the same firm for the 'training and empowerment of women and youths in confectioneries' in Irepodun/Orolu/Olorunda/Osogbo Federal Constituency and N85,841,796 for a similar programme in Ajilesoro's district. A screenshot of the payment records of the contracts handled by Perinni on Govspend. Four months ago, NACETEM released another mobilisation fee of N7,409,250 to the same entity, describing the payment as 'repeal and reenactment of of payment for training of teachers in digital transformation in learning & development across' Ayedire/Iwo/Ola-Oluwa Federal Constituency, another part of Osun State being represented by Lukman Mudashiru. READ ALSO: CONFIRMED: Over 50 'Influencers' Laundering Interior Minister Tunji-Ojo's Image on X Perinni received N359,109,614 in contract payments between 2024 and April 2026. Responding to FIJ's inquiry via a WhatsApp audio call on Tuesday, Ajilesoro said he was 'not currently a director of the company'. 'The company works for agencies and not me. I am not the owner of the company. This is one of the things I run away from. You know, when we are in power, people close to us would lobbying us to assist them with projects and we would refer them to the appropriate agencies. I know nothing about how they bid and got the contract,' Ajilesoro, who said he was outside the country, told FIJ. Perinni could not be reached for comments through its publicly available contact information. An inquiry sent to the email address listed on its website bounced back on Tuesday and the network operator told FIJ that 'the number you are trying to call does not exist'. READ ALSO: Businessman Paid N2.7m to Ex-Lawmaker Umar Sarki To Get a Contract That Never Came. Now Sick, He Wants His Money back Minutes after the call with Ajilesoro, Sikiru called FIJ on the phone saying Ajilesoro resigned from the company in 2019. 'He has not been involved in the business of the company since his resignation in 2019. People normally have something they were doing before getting into a public office. So he ceased being part of the company after his election,' Sikiru said. Two documents forwarded to FIJ by Ajilesoro as evidence of his resignation were both dated August 24, 2019. That was five months after emerging winner of the election and about three months after taking oath of office. BEYOND PAYMENT DATA In March, the Ile-Ife representative inspected one of such projects standing in front of a project board bearing the name of Perinni at the site. The project was the construction of an information and communication technology centre sponsored by NASENI. He also published a post on Facebook about the training funded by NACETEM in September 2025. In the accompanying pictures, he wore a NACETEM's branded white helmet while appearing to be speaking with participants. He told his audience that Olushola Odusanya, NACETEM's director general, was the one who 'introduced' the idea of the weeks-long welding training to him 'when we were reading our budget'. CONFLICT OF INTEREST Ajilesoro's link with the company and its handling of projects he had facilitated could raise conflict of interest questions under the Procurement Act 2007. Conflict of interest arises in different scenarios. But in this context, Section 57, subsection 12 (b) of the law states that the contradiction is present where a person 'possesses a direct or indirect interest in or relationship with a bidder, supplier, contractor or service provider that is inherently unethical or that may be implied or constructed to be, or make possible personal gain due to the person's ability to influence dealings'. A clip showing Ajilesoro at the bootcamp training. In his own words, Ajilesoro stated that NACETEM's head 'introduced' the project idea to him. Subsequently, the company he had resigned from became the direct beneficiary of the same contract. Influence peddling by politicians in the course of awarding contracts is a well-documented phenomenon. In a report released by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, the ICPC noted that federal lawmakers also use their aides to obtain contracts. READ ALSO: New ICPC Report Details How Over N2b Public Funds Were Siphoned Through Constituency Projects 'The dramatis personae in the conception and implementation of public-funded projects use the influence of their office for personal aggrandizement to the detriment of the public,' Nigerian Tribune, quoting the report, reported. 'Sponsoring legislators, their aides, and or senior officers of executing agencies use both subtle and hard influences to appropriate contracts for projects to companies in which they directly or indirectly have a substantial interest. 'There are significant testimonies and evidence of lack of adherence in practice to procurement rules and compliance with the provision of the Procurement Act.' Yet, prosecutions of such infractions are rare. However, on July 30, the ICPC secured the conviction of Onamusi Onadeko, who represented Ogun East Federal Constituency from 1999 to 2003, in a case initiated in 2017. Onadeko was accused of using his two private companies to execute several constituency projects in his capacity as a Senior Legislative Aide to late Senator Buruji Kashamu from the same constituency between 2015 and 2019. He has appealed the judgement. Share on Social Media x facebook linkedin whatsapp