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The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Thursday promised to deliver outcomes that will directly touch the lives of Nigerians positively.
Noting that all the agencies under his supervision must become truly front-facing, he said, it will result in faster passport processing, data Harmonisation, prison decongestion, fire service upgrades, and better security deployment in the country.
He spoke at the mid-term tenure / 2025 Sectoral Performance retreat of the Ministry and its agencies, themed “From Plans to Results: Strengthening Institutional Performance in the Ministry of Interior,”
All citizens, whether residing in Nigeria or abroad, he said, should expect a streamlined renewal process similar to that offered by foreign embassies.
According to him, the ‘2025 High Impact Deliverables’ of the Ministry include reforms aimed at making international passport issuance and renewal faster, more transparent, and citizen-friendly.
The target, he said, is to significantly reduce the turnaround time for passport and visa processing, in line with the executive orders of the President on ease of doing business and promotion of tourism.
“My target, in one week after you enrol for your passport, you get your passport. That is where we are going, and that is the standard Nigerians should hold us to.
“With the new executive order, we are determined to cut down delays. Visa approval should not take more than 48 hours.
"That is our benchmark, because efficiency in visa processing is key for business and tourism.” he added
Stressing that corruption has eaten deep into the nation’s passport regime, the Minister said the impact is that Nigeria is embarrassed internationally while the credibility of its travel documents are undermined.
He announced that the era of Passport Control Officers singlehandedly approving passports have come to an end with the government setting up a central approval hub.
This, he said, will eliminate fraud and delays.
On the corruption in the system, Dr. Tunji-Ojo said “There was a time a Ugandan came into Nigeria and, without any rightful claim to citizenship, he bought a Nigerian passport for $1,000.
"He used that passport to travel. That is how bad the situation had become, when foreigners could purchase our passports like items on the shelf,” he stated
According to him, the corrupt practices were encouraged by weak oversight and excessive discretion in the hands of Passport Control Officers (PCOs).
This, he said, left room for passport racketeering in the country.
The Minister said “The issue of passport approval, we will need to remove that power from PCOs if we want it to work. That is why we are setting up a central passport approval centre with well-trained officers working in shifts.
"This way, cases of racketeering and foreigners buying Nigerian passports will no longer be possible.
“We are setting up a passport approval centre. We will have about 200 officers that will be well-trained, they will do shifts, eight hours each,” Dr. Tunji-Ojo stated.
The Retreat, the Minister said, provides important opportunity to take stock of the progress made so far, re-examine the challenges facing the ministry and its agencies, and develop strategies for achieving results that would be both measurable and visible to the public.
According to him, the Renewed Hope administration expects nothing less than a public service that is efficient, transparent, and effective.
To this end, he said that the Ministry of Interior must lead the way in demonstrating that governance is not about promises but about outcomes that citizens can testify to.
The Minister said that the ministry is a critical gateway into Nigeria, from the immigration counters at the airports to correctional facilities, as well as the civil defence personnel stationed in communities, and the fire service units deployed across the country.
On the plans to harmonise all citizens’ data into a single national database, the Minister said that the move would eliminate the inefficiencies and frustrations that arise from the multiplicity of identity verification systems currently in operation.
“One of the things we spoke about when we were doing the High Impact Deliverables was the harmonisation of citizen data into a single national database.
"We must ensure the authentication and verification of NIN services across MDAs. This is crucial, because the efforts to decongest custodial centres and even make passports seamless depend on effective implementation of data harmonisation.
“Sometimes government keeps doing whatever it’s doing without realising that the end result is for citizens to feel it.
"One of the legacies we want is for Nigerians to say: ‘Oh, while President Tinubu was president, our passports were issued in two days.’ That is the kind of impact data harmonisation and centralisation should make.”
He spoke of moves to decongest the overcrowded Nigerian Correctional Service centres in the country, modernise the operations of the Federal Fire Service through the deployment of cutting-edge technology, and equipping the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to better protect critical national infrastructure.
“The issue of decongestion, we need to put all hands on deck to support you through access to faster judicial process. There are so many people awaiting trial in detention. What do you need to do to reduce that?
"This is an integral part of inter-agency collaboration. You are just keeping them, it is really not you. Whoever they bring, you host. But we need to get the Ministry of Justice, the judiciary, and state governors to consciously ensure we decongest the prisons, because a lot of the custodial centres are overpopulated beyond reason and a lot of people there are awaiting trial.”
Speaking on the fire service reform and licensing private firefighters, the Minister said that firefighting should no longer be the sole responsibility of government.
He therefore disclosed that the Ministry was preparing to introduce a licensing regime for private companies.
“We are at the final stage of reforming the Fire Service. It will not be business as usual. Very soon, we will have licensed private firefighting companies, just the way we have private guard companies.
"This will improve response time, expand coverage, and reduce over-reliance on government fire trucks that are often overstretched.
“Fire protection is a critical service. Government alone cannot do it. If we license private firefighting firms, they will complement the Federal Fire Service and ensure that both public and private assets are better protected.
"Just as private guards now work alongside civil defence, licensed firefighters will raise standards in emergency response.” he said
On her part, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination and head of the Central Delivery Coordination Unit (CDCU), Hadiza Bala Usman, commended the Interior Minister for his passion and commitment to duty since he came on board.
Describing him as a true reflection of the Renewed Hope Agenda, she said that his performance has demonstrated that the ministry could indeed become an engine for reform and service delivery.
She said “One of the legacies we must leave behind is for citizens to say: during President Tinubu’s time, passports were issued in two days. That is the kind of testimonial that matters. Let citizens feel it,”
The Presidential Aide also pushed for the amendment of the Private Guards Act, which would enable licensed private security companies to take over the responsibility of VIP protection and directly reduce the misuse of security personnel.
This, she said, will make more security personnel available for counter-terrorism and frontline operations.
She said “We cannot have police trained for anti-terrorism deployed to guard VIPs in Ikoyi. That is wrong. If you need such protection, pay a licensed private security company,”
According to her, the Interior Ministry must move decisively to end all practices that divert police and civil defence officers from their constitutional duties to private service.
She also lamented on the worsening situation at the Nigerian Correctional Service centres, which are mostly filled beyond their capacities.
Noting that the majority of inmates are persons awaiting trial, she called for a collaborative approach involving the Ministry of Justice, the judiciary, and state governments to fast-track access to justice and reduce the number of awaiting-trial inmates.
Urging the Interior Ministry to use the retreat as an opportunity to bring forward bold and transformative reform ideas, she said that President Tinubu was fully prepared to provide political support and funding for initiatives that would fundamentally change the operations of the ministry and its agencies.
“This regime does not shy away from reforms. Any initiative that will fundamentally change the Interior Ministry or its agencies should be tabled.
"The President is fully in support of bold reforms,” she stated