In a compelling revelation that underscores the impact of innovation-driven leadership, Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has announced that the federal government has successfully cleared over 200,000 pending passport backlogs and settled a staggering ₦28 billion in inherited debts — all without receiving additional funds from the national treasury.
The minister made this announcement at an Access Bank-hosted event in Lagos, highlighting the Interior Ministry’s landmark reforms in passport processing, debt resolution, and prison administration. Tunji-Ojo attributed these achievements to strategic innovations and the intelligent deployment of technology in service delivery, a move that has restored faith in one of the country's most overstretched government agencies.
“Our approach was simple — we brought in innovation, blocked leakages, and introduced technology that streamlined operations. We refused to follow the traditional path of requesting more funding. Instead, we optimized what was available,” Tunji-Ojo stated, drawing applause from stakeholders in attendance.
The minister did not stop there. He turned attention to the country’s deplorable prison conditions, describing many correctional facilities as inhumane and unfit for reformation. He called for urgent reforms in the justice system and reiterated the federal government’s commitment to ensuring that the purpose of incarceration is genuinely rehabilitative, not merely punitive.
“We must reimagine our correctional system. Justice must be restorative. A society is judged not by how it treats its strongest but by how it treats its weakest — and that includes those behind bars,” Tunji-Ojo said.
The minister’s remarks are seen as a clarion call for a holistic overhaul of internal security infrastructure and social justice policies. His disclosures add to a growing list of achievements under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, where cost-effective reforms and transparency have become hallmarks of governance.
Tunji-Ojo’s leadership at the Interior Ministry continues to earn accolades for moving away from transactional bureaucracy to transformative governance — a shift that may yet redefine public service in Nigeria.