A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Darlington Nwauju, has applauded the three-year scorecard of the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
Describing Tunji-Ojo as a dedicated, visionary and committed minister, Nwauju said the minister had transformed a hitherto redundant ministry.
The former Rivers State Publicity Secretary of the APC recalled that Tunji-Ojo was among the 45 ministers Tinubu appointed, and that Tinubu assigned him to an unpopular ministry known only for headlining announcements of national public holidays.
But he said, ‘In the last three years, the Interior Ministry underwent measurable reforms and, in a particular instance, last year received parliamentary commendations for surpassing the revenue generation target set for it by the National Assembly for the 2024/25 fiscal year.
‘For those of us who believe that there is a serious need to deliberately inject fresh blood into every leadership stratum in this country, Dr Tunji-Ojo stands as empirical evidence. Having been tried and having delivered beyond the imaginations of naysayers.’
He said the Interior Minister remained a source of pride to the people of Ondo, the youth demography in the country and a silver lining for visionary and impactful leadership.
He said the minister hit the ground running as soon as he was appointed, mobilising funds through corporate social responsibility to the tune of N585 million to pay court fines and compensation for 4,068 indigent inmates in November 2023, as part of measures to decongest the custodial centres nationwide.
He said that, as part of the prison reforms introduced by Tunji-Ojo, many Master’s, undergraduate and PhD candidates had successfully completed their studies, with numerous others enrolling for NABTEB/NECO examinations.
‘Other empirically verifiable projects/policies like the remodelling/upgrade of the National Fire Academy; launch of ECOWAS national biometric identity card (ENBIC); a new NIMC Act 2026 empowering NIMC as the mother certification authority for Nigeria’s National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI),’ he said.
Nwauju said under the minister, the immigration services in the country witnessed a turnaround following the digitising of expatriate quota and resident permit processes, and the inauguration of a Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre, the first of its kind in the 62-year history of the NIS
‘These are all testaments to performance delivery, which speaks volumes of an accountable leadership paradigm,’ he said.
He added, ‘It is my time-tested principle and belief that politics and governance should and must be about the good of the greater majority. In that light, the Interior Ministry under Dr Tunji-Ojo’s watch has promoted over 75,000 paramilitary officers, with elevations across various ranks, thereby ending years of career stagnation.
‘There is also an ongoing recruitment exercise of 60,000 youths into the four paramilitary agencies under that Ministry.’