SCORECARD: Evaluating Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo’s performance as Minister of Interior

By solacebase.com On May 8, 2024

Olubunmi Tunji ojo Minister of interior — SCORECARD: Analysing Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo’s performance as minister of interior in the last one year

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo is a Nigerian engineer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and politician. Before his appointment as minister of interior by President Bola Tinubu, he served as a member of the House of Representatives representing Akoko North East/Akoko North West Federal Constituency of Ondo State from 2019 to 2023.

Speaking during his maiden meeting with heads of the agencies under the supervision of the ministry, Tunji-Ojo said he’s prepared to work and also deliver results.

“I am here to work, but in working we must have a good environment. The work of this ministry affects everyone, whether you are rich or poor. I am here to make a change and to deliver results, and I need you to help me do that,” he said. “I don’t lead from the back; I lead from the front. We will try, and we will do our best to provide leadership built on the foundation of your support.”

It’s almost a year since he took over the leadership of the interior ministry. How has he performed?

Passport issues

Upon his assumption in office, the minister swiftly resolved a backlog of 204,000 passport applications within a mere two weeks at the Nigerian Immigration Service.

He also introduced user-friendly e-platforms for visa applications, allowing passport photo uploads via the immigration portal, an initiative that increased accessibility and convenience for Nigerians seeking visas.

For Nigerians abroad, Tunji-Ojo leadership enhanced e-passport facilities in key Nigerian Embassies across Europe, improving service capabilities for Nigerian citizens abroad, particularly in Spain, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy.

The 42-year-old graduate of Electronics and Communication Engineering from London Metropolitan University also facilitated the installation of e-Gates across all the five international airports in Nigeria, to ensure seamless entry for Nigerians and international travelers. This initiative was applauded by President Bola Tinubu, as he claimed it would improve security at the nation‘s airports and also elevates the standing of Nigeria on the global stage.

Welfare of security personnel

In November 2023, Tunji-Ojo advocated for salaries of paramilitary officers to be on a par with the personnel of the Nigeria Police Force. He also said like the military, the Federal Government was considering the establishment of a pension board for personnel of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Federal Fire Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Nigerian Correctional Service.

He argued that this would improve service delivery and alleviate the frustration of Nigerians as far as service delivery by the Nigeria Immigration Service is concerned. Interestingly, the Federal Government on May 1, approved a 25 to 35 per cent increase in the salary structures of police officers, the armed forces, public servants, among others.

However, security personnel have been left to suffer in decaying barracks. For decades, police and military authorities failed to build new barracks or properly renovate existing ones. While one of the reasons for erecting barracks is to address the housing challenge confronting military and paramilitary institutions, barrack accommodation is akin to living in a slum.

Most buildings in police and military barracks across the country still lack basic amenities such as toilets and even potable water. Officers still go out every morning with rifles to enforce laws and return back to dilapidated homes at night. This development arguably hinders justice as many of them are in a race against time to get money for their upkeep rather than support human rights or respect fair hearings.

Decongestion of prisons

In November last year, the minister facilitated the release of over 4,000 inmates who have served various terms of imprisonment or were convicted with an option of fine. The decision, according to him, was to decongest Nigeria’s correctional centres. He was able to raise over five hundred million naira through his strategic partnership with private sector players and the funds were deployed to secure the release of the inmates.

Speaking at the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kuje, Federal Capital Territory, the minister noted that the facilities, which had capacity of about 50,000 persons, currently housed approximately 80,804 inmates, “significantly surpassing their limits and prompting this strategic intervention.” He added,

“This release, targeting inmates with fines and/or compensations not exceeding N1 million, extends a lifeline primarily to indigents unable to settle their dues, allowing them a second chance at freedom.”

Data provided by the Nigerian Correctional Service in 2021 showed that the correctional centres combined, have the capacity to hold 50,083 inmates, but they currently hold 70,056 inmates. The World Prison Brief in 2021 also estimated the official capacity of Nigeria’s prison system at 50,153, and the actual population, including pretrial detainees, at 81,134, an occupancy rate of 136.7 per cent.

Jailbreak

In April, the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) says 118 inmates escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Suleja, Niger state, during a downpour.

Adamu Duza, spokesperson for the federal capital territory (FCT) command of the NCoS, said the rainfall ravaged parts of the prison.

“A heavy downpour that lasted for several hours on the night of Wednesday, 24 April 2024 has wreaked havoc on the medium security custodial centre, Suleja, Niger state, as well as surrounding buildings, destroying part of the custodial facility, including its perimeter fence, giving way to the escape of a total of 118 inmates of the facility,” the statement reads.

“The federal government is in control of this, everything is under control. Mr. President Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is actually putting in everything through the Ministry of Interior and the Nigerian Correctional Services, to make sure that there is no recurrence. We will have a correctional center that is safe for all inmates”, Tunji-Ojo said on Tuesday after a closed door meeting with Adams Oshiomhole, Senate Committee Chairman on Interior.

Scandal

Earlier this year, the minister was under the radar of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for his alleged link in a N438 million scandal with the ministry of Humanitarian Affairs. He, however, refuted claims suggesting his involvement as a signatory in the company implicated in the multimillion naira contract allegations linked to the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu.

A leaked memo circulating online indicated that a company, allegedly owned by Tunji-Ojo, received N438 million designated as ‘consultancy fees’ from Edu.

Reacting to the allegation in an interview on Channels TV on Monday, Tunji-Ojo said, “I am not a signatory to the company. And actually, I was shocked because the company in question was a company where I was a director. About five years ago, I resigned from my directorship.”

Sources within the presidency told SolaceBase that President Tinubu is pleased with Tunji-Ojo and hopes to see improvement in the ministry in the next couple of years.