Just like a fish in an aquarium cannot grow as much and as fast and farther in a river or ocean, the environment is a pusher of one’s growth – whether in private or public life. The case with Hon. (Dr.) Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Honourable Minister of Interior is akin to the analogy of two pieces of fish as postulated above. One is in the aquarium while the other survives in an ocean. Of course, life of the latter is expected to be better in terms of, first, growth, and even sometimes longevity. While the fish in the aquarium is restricted in terms of growth, the one in the ocean enjoys freedom that allows it to self-develop. Hon. (Dr.) Tunji-Ojo as a former member, Federal House of Representatives restricted and limited his potential only to his constituents in his home State of Ondo. Appointing him as a Minister of the Federal Republic has clearly shown his capacity and capability to unleash such huge potential he possesses for the benefit of a larger society.
In few hours from today, Nigerians will be counting down to the first anniversary of the assumption of office of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. Everyone, including Mr. President agrees it has been a rollercoaster of sort. And in the midst of all these vicissitudes, there had been notable and visible milestones. Like President Tinubu rightly posited on Friday, May 24, 2024 during the visit of Yorùbá Leaders of Thought to his office, “it has been challenging. It has been fulfilling as well. We took over, and we have stopped the bleeding. I can say categorically now that Nigeria is no longer bleeding. And it will not bleed to death, but rather will now move to prosperity… We are managing to swim through the pond. The current is not a good one. We will turn the tide. We are turning the bend…”, Mr. President had enthused. The challenges are enormous and monumental, but not insurmountable. Addressing or reworking the country in the best interest of the citizens therefore has started with President Tinubu reforms and prominent among those driving these reforms for the greater good of all is Hon. (Dr.) Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
The Honourable Minister has left no one in doubt as to his strategic vision for the agencies under his ministry. From decentralisation of passports application centres across the country to domestication of production of passport booklets to guarantee job opportunities and integrate a feedback mechanism best suited for the system. From collaborating with the Ministry of Justice on decongesting the country’s correctional homes to improving the work ethics of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to relieve the burden on the country’s Army on internal security. From reducing the Federal Fire Service (FFS) response time to disaster to improving to building West Africa’s biggest Fire Academy that would ultimately generate hundreds of thousands of jobs, making the agency become regulators and enumerators other than the operator it currently is. The Ministry has witnessed quite a number of turnaround milestones that have hitherto kept the name of the Minister on the lips of many Nigerians.
With Hon. (Dr.) Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo in charge of the Ministry, President Bola Tinubu has not only given hope to the forlorn and despondent, he has actually renewed the hope of even civil servants, enlivened the spirit of some inmates, giving them hope that everything is not over for them. Like he said in one of his many engagements where he encouraged civil servants, “…Let’s unite and give hope to the hopeless. Let’s protect the hope and future of this nation…”. The Minister had said. Facilitating promotion of 36,000 civil servants at one fell swoop and under the first 4 months of his resumption of office was perhaps enough reason to conclude then that the Renewed Hope of Mr. President was not a fluke after all. President Tinubu has been fulfilling his campaign promises and inarguably, HM Tunji-Ojo is one of the very committed and workaholic lieutenants who have been making the current administration endearing to many Nigerians in spite of the not-too-palatable economic reality of today.
I laugh when I read some naysayers and acerbic cynics out there play to the gallery by saying or insinuating that the Minister has not done anything extraordinary. And I feel like, “Really?” In this same country where we have had 2 different Ministers in 8 years without an immediate solution to the perennial passport processing quagmire? Somebody within weeks brought a paradigm shift from that terrible experience and some people would want to play it down? Opposition should of course be played with decorum and a sense of patriotism by all standards. Some have said the Minister has only concentrated on the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), leaving all other agencies under his supervision. What can be more insensitive than this desperate and deliberately calculated misrepresentation of facts. The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) reforms gain more traction because it has more to do with the public, including the international community. For instance, the efforts on the introduction of E-Gates/E-Borders plays a critical role here. Perception, it is said, is everything! The idea, more, is to propagate, positively, the image of the country before the international community as a people of serious-minded leadership.
Funnily, this set of homo sapiens are aware of the tremendous work at the Nigeria Correctional Centres across the country but just chose to be misanthropic and cynical. Of the 256 Correctional Centres, many of which dated decades, some spanning over hundred years with dilapidated structures are undergoing serious renovations. Ten (10) have already been completed while nine (9) are near-completion – all within the last 8 months. What more ‘magic’ do Nigerians expect the Honourable Minister to perform? Are we also to talk about the newly equipped Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) or the ongoing construction of the biggest fire academy in West Africa that will bring about massive job opportunities? The truth people hate to hear is that the Ministry’s milestones under Minister Tunji-Ojo have dwarfed several years of activities in the Ministry prior to the appointment of the Honourable Minister.
When I look in introspection of the last 365 days of Mr. President in office, I cannot but beat my chest that if there is any of the appointees of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR that has brought him more positive assessment from the public, Hon. (Dr.) Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo would fall into the first five (5) of such. Again, perception is everything. And he has continued to give the public enough reason to believe in the Renewed Hope agenda of Mr. President. Only last Friday, May 24, he went to Lagos to inspect the newly built ‘E-Gate’ that is meant to enhance national security, aid ease of doing business and reduce human contact with corrupt tendencies. 21 of such ‘E-Gate’ are expected across the country. Surprisingly, it is not all about physical structures or system reforms alone, but also included is capacity building. Only recently, Mr. President approved a life assurance policy for civil servants of the Nigeria Correctional Centres (first of its kind ever in the history) as well as ‘Peculiar Allowance’ just so to encourage officers to put in their best in serving their country.
As we all await the first anniversary of the Renewed Hope mandate, it is our prayer that the best will ultimately manifest in Nigeria and the ordinary people on the streets will have cause to look back and say, “We are proudly Nigerians”.
OMOGBOLAHAN L.A. BABAWALE
Public Affairs Analyst
Convener/Lead Resource Person
The Think-Tinubu Initiative (3TI)
