Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said the federal government has cleared over 200,000 unprocessed passport applications since he assumed office.
Tunji-Ojo also revealed that N28 billion in old debts have been cleared, all without extra funding from the government.
He made these revelations during the Access Bank Guest Lecture Series held in Lagos on Monday.
Speaking on the topic “Dare to Dream, Dare to Innovate,”;; he called for bold leadership, system reform, and the smart use of technology.
“Leadership is not about reacting to problems; it is about foreseeing and solving them before they occur. And for that, you must always ask, What is your purpose? How will you execute it? And when is the right time to act?”;; he said.
He further gave a detailed explanation on how his ministry used innovation, technology, and planning to clear passport backlogs and debts.
Under his stewardship, new systems like e-visa platforms, contactless passport renewals for Nigerians abroad, and advanced passenger tracking have been launched.
Speaking on Nigeria’s prisons, Tunji-Ojo said the correctional system is in bad shape.
He pointed out that more than 4,000 inmates are behind bars simply because they can’t pay fines as low as N50,000.
“This is not a legal crisis; it is a moral one. A society that punishes poverty more harshly than crime has lost its moral compass,”;; he said.
“A correctional facility must correct, not condemn. Justice without dignity is injustice in disguise.”;;
Access Holdings chairman, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, praised Tunji-Ojo’s leadership.
“Innovation is not about big budgets; it is about big thinking,”;; he said, adding that the minister’s work shows what real public service should look like.
