By Saka Ola Ahmed 

The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi  Tunji-Ojo, achievements in his ministry in the last three years have created a positive image for youths in the country   and have shown that, when given responsibility , they can excel.  

 The unprecedented positive performance   so far in the Ministry of Interior by the Minister has given everyone hope that the youths can successfully lead and rule the country.

  It is the belief of many, therefore , that the Minister is currently the most suitable person to facilitate the development of Ondo State, where he is from.

Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Interior, is a Nigerian engineer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and politician . He was a member of the House of Representatives   representing Akoko North East/Akoko North West Federal Constituency of Ondo State from 2019 to 2023.

Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo was appointed minister by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in August 2023.   His ministry oversees the Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Federal Fire Service.

The Minister has been honoured by different organisations for introducing important reforms, which are very beneficial.

These include   the digitization of the passport application process, deployment of airport e-Gates, and initiatives to clear extensive passport backlogs.

In correctional service, he has pioneered major decongestion efforts at correctional centres by spearheading.   programmes that paid fines to release thousands of inmates held for petty offences, alongside modernizing facilities.

On   Border and Asset Security, Hon Tunji-Ojo has   focused on integrating intelligence data, enhancing border security, and using the NSCDC to protect critical national infrastructure.

During his first term in the House of Representatives, he was the chairman of the House Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). On 26 February 2023, he was re-elected as the federal lawmaker representing Akoko North East and North West Federal Constituency. However, he resigned his membership of the lower chamber of the National Assembly after being appointed by President Bola Tinubu as minister of Interior on 16 August 2023.  

Before going into politics, Tunji-Ojo was a business and management executive with a career in ICT, becoming 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 a certification in Ethical Hacking and Counter Measures. He is also a certified CompTIA Network Plus Engineer and a Britannia Hardware A+ Management Certificate Holder.

His introduction of contactless passport renewal system for Nigerians living in Europe has endeared him to Nigerians in the diaspora. The system allows eligible Nigerians in Europe to renew their passports online without visiting any physical office, following the successful rollout of the initiative in Canada.

The Minister has helped in fighting insecurity in the country.  

To further strengthen border surveillance, 30 new patrol vehicles have been commissioned, while a new Command and Control Centre, housing a 1.4 petabyte-capacity data center, has been constructed at the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, headquarters in Abuja.

The Ministry has also activated the role of Document Verification Officers (DVOs) to authenticate passport applicants from their local government areas.

Technological advancement has been a key focus of the Minister, culminating in the commissioning of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex (BATTIC) on the 11th of December,2024. The facility houses the NIS Command and Control Center, ECOWAS Biometric Card Production Centre, the Interior Data Centre, the Visa Application Centre, and a solar farm.

For his efforts   and achievements,   Dr Tunji-Ojo   was named amongst the 30 most influential young Nigerians by the National Youth Council of Nigeria in 2019.

He was also awarded as Pacesetter in Political Representation by Akoko North West Local Government Council, Okeagbe Akoko, Ondo State , in 2019.

He got the Sir Ahmadu Bello Platinum Leadership Award of Excellence   in 2019,  

National Assembly Best Legislator of the year in 2020, 2021, and the  

Kwame Nkrumah Leadership Award as “Worthy Ambassador of African 2010 Youth” by All African Students Union ,(AASU).