By Afolayan Adebiyi
From the get-go, the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was fully focused and fixated in pushing the Renewed Hope Agenda by fixing the plethora of badly dilapidated critical infrastructures across the country, fixed the flapping economy and stabilised the nation’s sagging security. His appointments, deployments of men and resources, and body language actually gave credence to this assumption, but out of the blues, the government has suddenly found a poster boy in another sector; a previously unsung one: the Ministry of Interior
Affairs.
Apparently, when the government was being put together, the sector was one of the back ends on the priority list; it was not one of the focal selling points the President wanted to showcase.
The government thinking was that the security architecture should be able to deal with all internal issues, and its appointments of cracks service men and proper funding to combat insurgencies clearly attest to this.
But in a matter of months, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has turned the Ministry into one of the campaign points of the present government with his ground and record-breaking achievements,
all over the departments in the Ministry.
When the appointment of the forty-three-year-old egghead was announced, few paid particular attention to the A-grade this IT and Tech guru could bring to the government. After all, a very
young man, and had just been re-elected into the Federal House of Representatives for a second term; and save for his ear-pulling performances at the Lower Chamber, few really noted him; he was not one of the media hype flamboyant lawmakers.
But, in less than two years down the line, Dr Tunji-Ojo has captured the attention of all with his sterling performance in a ministry notorious for rubbishing political careers.
His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been widely touted as a meticulous talent headhunter. He is damn right in spotting the latent talents of Dr Tunji-Ojo. Pulling him out of the Lower Chambers to the National Executive Council (NEC) is one of the most strategic moves made by the president. Both the country, the president, and Nigerians are reaping the benefits today.
Once Tunji-Ojo took over the Ministry, he started digging deep into the problems bedevilling the Ministry and, without slumbering, started finding solutions to them, one after the other.
He started with the horrifying issue of Nigerian passport acquisition, the perennial lack of booklets, and deep-rooted corruption in that wing of the Ministry. In less than six weeks, he cleared all the mess he inherited and charted a fresh course for all the prospective citizens who desire to get an international passport.
Dr Tunji-Ojo’s educational background is solid, a restless scholar. A well-read, broadly educated IT and technological professional.
His success, which has won him many admirers, couldn’t have remained isolated without political enemies who are seeing him as a threat to the ambitions of friends and foes in his
Ondo State. Born on May 1, 1982, in Oyin-Akoko, Ondo State, the life of the multiple award winning minister has always embodied the essence of courage, modernism, and dogged commitment to national and global development.
Dr Tunji-Ojo’s deep knowledge and expertise in IT and 6 has surely come in handy while tackling the deep-rooted rot in the Ministry. Therefore, in his inaugural address to the top brass of the Ministry, he laid his plans bare. He told them that most of the problems bedevilling internal security in the country could be easily solved by simply deploying technology.
He then laid out an explicit agenda that will enhance internal security by ensuring efficiency and societal integration in the address.
He was totally committed to the deployment of innovative technology in enhancing border security, streamlining international passport procedures by eliminating bottlenecks, and optimising the processes of the Federal Fire Service by addressing challenges hindering efficiency and reforming custodial centres.
Dr Tunji-Ojo vowed a collaboration with other stakeholders in revamping the administration of criminal justice by decongesting custodial centres and facilitating ex-convicts’ successful reintegration into society.
His idea was for the custodial centres to become transformative institutions that offer hope and second chances to ex-inmates. And two years down the line, Dr Tunji-Ojo has transformed what used to be a problematic Ministry into the centre of gravity of Tinubu’s administration by digitising ministry processes and automating e-gates at international airports, clearing a significant passport backlog, reducing processing times, and launching a contactless biometric passport and e-visa system.
He has not only significantly decongested correctional facilities and rehabilitated the former inmates; he has promoted over 50,000 paramilitary officers and improved the capacity of the Federal Fire Service.
When Dr Tunji-Ojo assumed duty. He met a backlog of over 204,000 passports on his table. This he cleared within a few weeks of assuming office. He also reduced passport processing time to about three weeks by digitalising the process. Minimising human interaction by launching contactless biometric passport technology, which culminated in the introduction of a centralised passport production and personalisation centre. This move created not only enhanced efficiency but also increased transparency in the passport issuing and acquisition process.
But the digitalisation and e-governance vision went beyond passports to include installation of e-gates at international airports to speed up passenger clearance and the development of a stateof-the-art data, command-and-control centre to support border management.
To address the overcrowding crisis in correctional centres, the Ministry paid fines of over N585 million to secure the release of about 4,068 inmates serving time for petty crimes. With the reforms in the correctional services aimed at the rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates into society, facilities have been modernised in most centres to create a more humane and effective correctional environment.
To enhance border security along the long stretches of the Country’s notoriously porous borders, the ministry has started smart border management and the advanced passenger information system. Essentially, the deployment of digital systems has enabled the immigration authorities to better manage and monitor the flow of people across Nigeria’s borders.
All these infotech driven innovations have birthed revolutionary initiatives such as Electronic Visa, e-Visa; Landing and Exit Cards, LEC; Advance Passenger Information, API; Migrant Information Management System, MIMS; Citizen and Business, C&B; Single Travel Emergency Passport, STEP; Temporary Work Permit, TWP; Guard Management System, GMS; and Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens.
His exploits at the Ministry of the Interior Affairs are not surprising to many; only a few will still doubt his capacity and capability to deliver on set objectives. His record at the Federal House of Representatives speaks volumes about his limitless capacity and capabilities. A congenially square peg in a square hole, you may conclude. His tenure in the Lower Chambers remains a defining chapter in legislative excellence and progressive leadership.
At the House, where he represented the Akoko Northeast/Akoko Northwest Federal Constituency of Ondo State, he distinguished himself as a lawmaker deeply committed to constituency upliftment, human resources development, community endowment, national development, transparency, and youth empowerment.
While serving as the Chairman of the House Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Tunji-Ojo distinguished himself by his excellent leadership, taking courageous decisions. A man of high integrity, he spearheaded critical oversight functions that brought much-needed reforms to the commission.
He stood tall in the struggle to enthrone full accountability and institutional transparency in the Commission. This earned him widespread respect in the House.
Dr Tunji-Ojo also sponsored and supported bills that targeted infrastructural development, improved education, enhanced digital innovation, and strengthened good governance.
President Bola Tinubu must have taken notes of his performance and records in the Lower Chamber, hence his nomination and appointment as a Minister of Interior when he was forming his Cabinet.
For the Honourable Minister, Dr Tunji-Ojo, with his relatively young age, fabulous educational background, and knowledge, the sky appears to be the limit for him politically, both in his native Ondo State in particular and Nigeria. He is twenty-first century compliant in all ramifications. He is IT savvy, an intellectual, and above all, a consummate administrator – traits that both his home state of Ondo may soon have powerful need for.
*Edited by Segun Martins Fajemisin
