Sex Scandal: Accused Permanent Secretary, Ibrahim Lemuwa, Opens Up, Says He’s A Man Of Integrity

Ibrahim Lamuwa, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has denied sexual harassment allegations made against him by a female ministry staff member, claiming that he is a man of integrity.

Simisola Fajemirokun Ajayi, a married ministry employee, made the allegation in a petition to Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar, which was filed by her lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN).

The petition detailed allegations of sezual harassment and other misconduct by the permanent secretary.
In a document obtained by a Daily Trust correspondent, the embattled permanent secretary denied the allegations via his lawyers.

The document stated: “We are legal representatives of Ambassador Ibrahim Lamuwa (hereinafter referred to as “our client”), the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and have been authorised to make the following statement on his behalf, in response to allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by Mrs Simisola O. Fajemirokun-Ajayi, an aide to the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs.

“The media, particularly social media, has been inundated with digital copies of a petition against Amb. Lamuwa signed by Mrs. Simisola O. Fajemirokun-Ajayi’s legal representatives. This petition was clearly leaked to gain sympathy for her unsubstantiated claims.

“We would like to state unequivocally that our client has never made any sexual advances towards Mrs. Simisola O. Fajemirokun-Ajayi, whom he is aware is married, nor has he ever made suggestive comments or innuendos requesting any form of untoward relationship between himself and her.

“Our client vividly recalls the events that occurred at the ministry’s retreat on October 7th, 2023, when Mrs Simisola O. Fajemirokun-Ajayi claims he invited her into his room. Our client categorically states that he never sent such an invitation and that his only overt communication with Mrs Fajemirokun-Ajayi was to check on her, as he did with all participants, to ensure that they were properly lodged in their hotels.

“He further recalls that the instance in which he spoke of her as a nursing mother occurred during the same retreat, in a colloquial conversation with other participants, where one participant even responded jokingly that when a woman says “her baby,” it could mean either her husband or one of her children, to which he innocuously joked, “How big is the baby?” Our client maintains that those conversations were joking, and that their misinterpretation was malicious and intended.

“Our client also believes it is absurd for Mrs Fajemirokun-Ajayi to claim that he invited her to Hong Kong, given that the conversation they were having was about how Hong Kong had digitised its work processes as early as 1999. Our client wonders how such a conversation was interpreted as an invitation for her to accompany him, despite the fact that she is the minister’s aide.
“How can she possibly leave the minister to accompany the permanent secretary on a vacation?” Would not that be the height of delusion for both the one making the request and the one responding to it?

“It is clear that the minister’s aide misinterpreted ordinary conversations, conducted openly and in the presence of other participants, for malicious intent. We believe that these allegations are directly related to our client’s firm objections to Mrs Fajemirokun-Ajayi’s improper requests, particularly those involving financial matters in the Ministry.

“For example, Mrs. Fajemirokun-Ajayi travelled to the World Economic Forum (Davos) and requested reimbursement from the ministry for her expenses. Our client firmly explained to her that, while the ministry may look into ways to reimburse her expenses, it is not appropriate for a trip to be made without prior approval and then funded with taxpayer funds. Following the fact.

“Additionally, Mrs Fajemirokun-Ajayi’s unfamiliarity with civil service rules and processes is evident, as she requested access to policy files and even financial records of high-level ministry activities from our client.” By no means should the permanent secretary, as the ministry’s chief accounting officer, provide such sensitive documents to a ministerial aide, especially over WhatsApp. There are proper procedures in government that must be followed.

“We must emphasise that Mrs. Fajemirokun-Ajayi is a political appointee, not a civil servant. As a result, she is not permitted to discuss financial or policy issues in this case.

“It is critical to note that in his 32 years of service in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, our client has never received a query or report against him that borders on harassment, let alone sexual harassment. During this time, our client served in Hong Kong, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and, most recently, Senegal, with no negative reports on his conduct in any of these countries.

“Ambassador Lamuwa has also spent nine years in the State House. From the vice president’s office to the chief of staff’s office to the president’s office, and back again, no negative report or allegation has ever been made against him,” according to the I. I have