Tunji Ojo and the Rare Discipline of Reform
Tunji Ojo and the Rare Discipline of Reform
By SEGUN SHOWUNMI
Government reform is often reduced to ritual. Announcements are made, committees convened, and timelines quietly abandoned. What distinguishes genuine reform is not intention but impact the moment citizens encounter a system that works where one once failed. At Nigeria’s Ministry of Interior, that moment has arrived.
By the end of 2024, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji Ojo had emerged as the most consequential performer in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s cabinet. The reputation did not grow from publicity or partisan enthusiasm; it was earned through results in institutions historically synonymous with inefficiency, opacity, and public frustration. In a political environment where ambition frequently outruns delivery, Tunji Ojo delivered first.
The conventional pattern in Nigerian governance is predictable: a bold opening, followed by caution. Many expected 2025 to be a year of consolidation perhaps even slowdown. Instead, the Interior Minister chose acceleration. Reforms deepened, institutional restructuring widened, and implementation intensified. Momentum was not merely sustained; it was converted into method.
This did not happen in isolation. From the outset, President Tinubu’s confidence in Tunji Ojo was unmistakable. Beyond appointment, the President provided political backing, policy clarity, and the operational space required for decisive action. That trust proved decisive. In a system where reform is often neutralised by bureaucratic inertia, the Ministry of Interior benefited from a rare alignment of authority and accountability.
The groundwork was laid in 2024, a year that fundamentally reset the Ministry’s operating logic. Across immigration, internal security, correctional services, and paramilitary welfare, governance shifted from reactive management to proactive reform. The commissioning of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex symbolised this transition ending fragmented processes and unifying passport personalisation, visa processing, and identity data management within a secure digital ecosystem.
Nowhere was the change more visible than in immigration administration. Passport backlogs once emblematic of state failure were confronted through workflow reform, capacity expansion, and oversight. Border management entered the digital age, while long-delayed promotion exercises across paramilitary agencies were unlocked, restoring morale and institutional confidence. Within the correctional system, the emphasis moved away from warehousing inmates toward rehabilitation, education, and skills acquisition.
If 2024 was about vision, 2025 became the year of execution. The Ministry translated reform intent into measurable outcomes. The launch of the Contactless Passport Renewal System for Nigerians in the diaspora eliminated entrenched bottlenecks and restored dignity to consular services. Built on biometric verification and secure digital workflows, it aligned Nigeria with global best practice and demonstrated what functional public service delivery can look like.
This reform was reinforced by the electronic visa regime, automated e-gates at major airports, advanced passenger information systems, and a state-of-the-art Command and Control Centre anchored by a 1.4-petabyte data facility. Border governance moved from guesswork to data-driven intelligence. Mid-year reforms to expatriate quotas and visa rules struck a deliberate balance between openness, compliance, and local workforce protection an often elusive equilibrium.
Beyond immigration, internal security reforms matured steadily. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps expanded surveillance around critical infrastructure, while the Mining Marshal initiative sustained pressure on illegal mining operations. Welfare reforms produced rare outcomes: over 100,000 paramilitary officers promoted within two years, recruitment approvals secured for 30,000 personnel, and a Paramilitary Pensions Board established to address long-standing retirement anxieties.
Correctional reform reflected the same philosophy state responsibility extending beyond punishment to human development. Healthcare delivery improved, educational programmes expanded, and vocational factories were completed to improve post-release reintegration. The symbolism of inmates earning postgraduate degrees at Kuje Custodial Centre was not incidental; it was the product of deliberate policy choice.
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Perhaps most telling was the Ministry’s insistence on institutional discipline. A directive mandating electronic correspondence from December 1, 2025, reinforced a commitment to efficiency, transparency, and cost control. Reform, in this context, was not episodic it was embedded.
By the end of 2025, the Ministry of Interior had become a central driver of Nigeria’s digital governance and internal security renewal. Tunji Ojo’s defining achievement is not speed but structure. Supported by presidential confidence and guided by clarity of purpose, he transformed reform from momentum into mastery. In doing so, he offered a rare reminder that when political trust meets administrative competence, governance can move from promise to performance.
• Segun Showunmi is a political analyst
