For finding his way into the hearts of millions of citizens for whom obtaining or renewing the Nigerian passport had become a nightmare; for his bold, extensive and exceptional reforms tackling the perennial passport booklet debacle at the Nigeria Immigration Service, in less than five weeks into his assumption of office, a stride which earned him the sobriquet “Minister Talk And Do”, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo is Public Servant of the Year 2023.
Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the minister of interior, was a seasoned business executive and consultant with over 17 years of extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. He excelled particularly in project, policy and strategic management.
Riding on the “Renewed Hope Agenda” of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, Tunji-Ojo, whose ministry oversees the affairs of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), the Federal Fire Service (FFS), and the Civil Defence, Corrections, Immigration and Fire Service Board (CDCIFB), has no doubt distinguished himself as a stellar politician and public administrator with capacity to lead others to achieve admirable results.
Despite the challenges he met on ground, Dr Tunji-Ojo has been resolute in his zeal to move the Ministry of Interior beyond the stage his predecessors left it, and break new grounds.
On his orders, NIS recorded the now celebrated record-breaking clearance of 204,332 passports backlog, which, until his directive, was a gross national crisis. It was the highest clearance ever recorded in its 60 years of existence, just within three weeks.
The 41-year-old Tunji-Ojo started his tertiary education at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, before moving to the University of North London (now London Metropolitan University) where he studied Electronics and Communication Engineering and graduated in 2005. He obtained a master’s degree in Digital Communication and Networking from the same institution in 2006.
Dr Tunji-Ojo is an accomplished business and management executive with a flourishing career in ICT and who grew to become the CEO of a leading indigenous ICT consultant company in Nigeria, Matrix IT Solutions Limited, at the age of 24. As a professional, he holds 18 professional qualifications in ICT such as Ethical Hacking and Counter Measures. He is also a certified CompTIA Network Plus engineer and a Britannia Hardware A+ Management Certificate holder, among others.
Before his foray into politics, he consulted for the World Bank and several government agencies, including the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), National Health Insurance Scheme, and Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).
However, despite the universal accolades and commendations he got for pulling off a seemingly difficult task at the NIS, the go-getter, who has brought professionalism, political sagacity and his wealth of experience from the public/private sector to bear on his new tasks, remains one of the eggheads in President Tinubu’s government that Nigerians look up to for bringing forth the radical changes expected in the new administration.
He has, among other strides, announced a two-week timeline for processing of passport applications, promised the commencement of home and office delivery of passports to applicants from February 2024, threatened to commence the execution of the principle of reciprocity in international relations by halting the visa-on-arrival privilege granted foreign nationals whose countries subject Nigerians to rigorous visa application processes, commenced personal upload of passport photographs on NIS passport application portal, as well as established more e-passport offices in Europe.
A man with the Midas’ touch, Tunji-Ojo has within two months in office led the advocacy for fair compensation for paramilitary officers, insisting that their salaries must align with those of the Nigeria Police Force personnel. He also commenced arrangements to set up a functional pension board for paramilitary personnel as a mechanism to secure their future. All this will no doubt improve staff morale and lead to greater output.
No doubt, Tunji-Ojo has proven bookmakers right — that he is more than equal to the task of reshaping the ministry of interior, elevating its role in securing the nation’s well-being, and fortifying the nation’s extensive borders.
A man of his words, Dr Tunji-Ojo again, on November 18, 2023, lived up to his promise to, within four weeks, clear fines and compensations worth N585 million for 4,068 inmates nationwide on account of their inability to pay their fines as penalties for crimes committed, all in an effort at prison decongestion.
The minister, often hailed for drawing clear targets and upholding a definitive timeline of action, is at the verge of transforming correctional homes into centres of rehabilitation rather than condemnation.
He has also within this period engaged with all relevant agencies, stakeholders and international partners to discuss critical areas of reforms to tackle illegal migration, counter organised crimes as well as out-think and stay ahead of criminals.
Between August 21 and today, the operational capacities of the NSCDC, FFS and NCoS have witnessed massive improvements on his watch.
Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo is happily married to Abimbola Tunji-Ojo and they have two children.
