Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has announced that over 200,000 pending passport applications have been cleared since he assumed office.

Speaking at the Access Bank Guest Lecture Series held at the bank’s headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos, Tunji-Ojo also revealed that a legacy debt of ₦28 billion had been fully repaid without additional funding from the federal government.

Delivering the keynote address titled “Dare to Dream, Dare to Innovate”, the Minister outlined a broad vision for innovation-led governance, ethical leadership, and urgent reforms in the correctional system.

Drawing on his experience as an ethical hacker, Tunji-Ojo stressed that effective leadership must be proactive: “Leadership is not about reacting to problems; it is about foreseeing and solving them before they occur.”

He highlighted recent innovations at the Ministry, including e-visa platforms, contactless passport renewals for Nigerians in the diaspora, advanced passenger information systems, and the launch of a Tier-4 data centre to enable round-the-clock immigration services.

Addressing the state of correctional facilities, the Minister lamented that over 4,000 inmates remain in custody nationwide simply because they cannot afford fines as low as ₦50,000.

“This is not a legal crisis; it is a moral one. A society that punishes poverty more harshly than crime has lost its moral compass,” he said.

He disclosed that the Ministry has partnered with private donors to secure the release of many such inmates and is now pursuing reforms that prioritise rehabilitation over punishment. Measures include digital case tracking, vocational training within correctional centres, and public-private partnerships to improve infrastructure and operational efficiency.

“A correctional facility must correct, not condemn. Justice without dignity is injustice in disguise,” he added.

Chairman of Access Holdings Plc, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, praised Tunji-Ojo’s leadership, saying: “Innovation isn’t about big budgets; it’s about big thinking.”

He described the lecture series as a platform to foster dialogue on leadership, accountability, and national transformation.

Concluding his remarks, the Minister urged participants to embrace excellence and purpose:
“Let Access Bank be more than a financial institution; let it be a philosophy. Let Nigeria not just be a country of potential, but a nation of performance.”