Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, says more than 200,000 unprocessed passport applications have been cleared since he assumed office. The Minister disclosed this during a keynote address at the Access Bank Guest Lecture Series held at the bank’s headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Speaking on the theme ‘Dare to Dream, Dare to Innovate’, Tunji-Ojo highlighted several reforms under his watch, including the repayment of a ₦28 billion legacy debt without additional funding from the federal government. He credited a strategy of system integration, technology innovation, and financial self-sufficiency for these achievements.
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Other innovations cited include the rollout of e-visa platforms, contactless passport renewals for Nigerians abroad, and the commissioning of a Tier-4 data centre to provide round-the-clock immigration services. He also drew on his background in ethical hacking, urging leaders to be proactive and purposeful.
The Minister decried the state of Nigeria’s correctional facilities, revealing that over 4,000 inmates remain in custody for failure to pay fines as low as ₦50,000. He said the Ministry has partnered with private donors to secure the release of many of these non-violent offenders, while pursuing reforms such as vocational training, digital case tracking, and public-private partnerships to improve inmate rehabilitation.
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