He tweeted the good news via his verified X handle, " Thrilled to announce that I have accepted the offer to lead The Climate Action for Africa (CAP-A) as the new Chair of the Board of Directors! Truly excited to drive climate action across Africa alongside an incredible team.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has promised that the Federal Government would invest in the harmonisation of the country’s data through the National Identity Management Commission.

The Minister noted that the era of multiple ID registrations would soon be over in the country.

He spoke while receiving the MTN management team led by the CEO, Karl Toriola, in Abuja on Monday.

A statement by his Media Adviser, Babatunde Alao, said the NIMC had been mandated to harmonise the country’s database.

Tunji-Ojo said there was a need for the country to have a tech-driven data hub under the ministry.

He noted that President Bola Tinubu was willing to enhance the country’s Identity and security architecture.

The statement partly read, “We must have an interior hub. A massive data centre where we will have all our identity information documented.

“Data harmonization is key. If we succeed at the Ministry of Interior, the success will start with NIMC. The integrity of our travel document must be restored through the harmonization of our data.

This way, our people do not have to repeat data capture processes during the passport enrolment phase when they have a valid NIN.”

He explained that data harmonisation would drastically cut down on stress for the people as well as overhead costs on the part of the government.

He said: “When we harmonize our data, there will be an exchange amongst agencies such that when our people need data for passport or BVN, with their NIN, their data can be pulled out. This will not only save us stress, cost, and energy but also help us optimise our processes.”

Tunji-Ojo noted that having a BVN number, a voter’s card number, an NIN, and a passport number at once was needless.

He said: “Information regarding issuance of driving licenses and Passports, Bank Verification Numbers, National Identity Numbers, Subscribers Identity Modules, and others should be harmonised into digital chips for planning and execution of government programmes for accelerated development.

There is no need for us to have a BVN number, a voter’s number, an NIN, and a passport number all at once, and this is why we have to work with NIMC to ensure that we harmonise all these and do away with these duplications.

“If NIMC performs well, NIS will perform better, and the police, NSCDC, and other agencies will perform admirably above par.”

The Federal Government has declared Wednesday, September 27, 2023 as public holiday in commemoration of Eil-ul- Maulid celebration.

The celebration signifies the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

In a statement which the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Oluwatoyin Akinlade, issued on his behalf, Minister of Interior, Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, congratulated Muslims for witnessing this year’s occasion.

He also admonished them to imbibe the spirit of love, patience, tolerance and perseverance which are deep spiritual virtues that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him ) exemplified.

The Minister urged youths to embrace hard work and peaceful dispositions to fellow citizens irrespective of faith, ideology, social class and ethnicity.

Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has said over 4000 inmates are held in custodial centres across the country over their inability to pay fines slammed on them by judges and magistrates.

This was as he lamented that over 70 per cent of the total population in the nation’s custodial centres are awaiting trial.

He noted that the number of inmates in the correctional facilities would reduce to 40 per cent if non-custodial alternatives as provided for in the Correctional Service Act are explored.

A statement on Saturday by the minister’s Media Adviser, Alao Babatunde, said he spoke when the Ambassador of the European Union to Nigeria, Samuela Isopi, visited him at his office in Abuja

It partly read, ” Over 70 percent of the 79,000 inmates are awaiting trial.

“We have over 4000 inmates in the facilities for their inability to pay various fines. We believe we can reduce the number of inmates in our correctional facilities by about forty percent if we explore non-custodial alternatives as provided for in the Correctional Service Act.”

The minister stated that the EU could support the country in deploying technology to buffer and enhance border management architecture within the country.


He said, “The European Union is important to the socio-economic development of Nigeria. Our relationship with the EU is historical in terms of but not limited to bilateral support,” he said.

“If we are able to solve crime and migration problems in Nigeria, Africa will be better for it. Due to the boundaries, Africa shares with the EU, our problems are more of an EU problem than any other part of the world. And, because we are committed to solving this, we will explore all avenues.”

The minister urged the EU to support the Federal Government’s plan to carry out an audit of all correctional centres

Tunji-Ojo noted that the Ministry was working on key reforms, especially in areas of travel documentation processes and knowledge transfer.

He added, “We have commenced the process to unbottle the bottlenecks in our international passport application and collection process. Today, we have made huge progress. We are also working on ways to reduce identity theft. We want to make sure the green passport regains its pride and integrity.”

Earlier, the ambassador assured the minister of the support of the European Union, noting that the EU would render technical support in managing the illegal aspect of migration as well as curbing human trafficking and people smuggling.

RealLordZeus:
@OP.. thought you left with former vp

The Federal Government has said that commercial institutions, including banks, hotels, schools, malls, recreational centres and other private sector players will be required to have....


The Federal Government has said that commercial institutions, including banks, hotels, schools, malls, recreational centres and other private sector players will be required to have certified fire safety officers.


The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this after conducting his maiden official inspection tour of the National Fire Academy, Sheda, Abuja.

The Minister’s media aide, Babatunde Alao, disclosed in a statement on Thursday that he canvassed the broadening of the use of the Fire Academy to accommodate private fire servicemen.


“A lot has been done, but there is still a lot more to be done. With what I have seen here, I can guarantee you that we will work very hard to see that this facility will not only be useful in training officers of the fire service but also for the private sector.

“We must make fire safety a personal affair. Every institution, commercial and social recreation centre should have certified fire and safety personnel, trained by this facility,” the minister was quoted as saying.


He explained how the academy could serve various private sector players, insisting that: “All public and commercial buildings and infrastructure such as banks, hotels, malls, restaurants, or even government buildings should have first responders that can administer basic fire fighting remedy while waiting for the arrival of a full operation squad of the country’s Fire Service.”

Dr Olubunmi explained that the tour was to fortify him with the situation of things at the facility, and also see how fire service processes could be innovated to serve a broader spectrum in line with the #RenewedHope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The minister added that: “Today, we have over 3 million private guards certified by the NSCDC. We can have something similar for the fire service. We need private fire service men to enhance our service and response time. The President’s #RenewedHope agenda has charged us to be innovative if we must change the narrative.


“As a matter of fact, this is another innovative way to generate revenue because we expect that anyone looking to become a safety or security guard should get trained and certified by this academy

lexy2014:


Aunty as food don finish from osinbajo, you have opened new shop at tunji-ojo.

Nairaland will be expecting more image laundering and propaganda from u and your team

The latest in a long line of accolades for Nigeria’s interior minister, Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, is a trend of gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for appointing the “best man for the job.”

Nigerians took to social media in what can only be described as a show of gratitude to His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, for his astute decision in selecting his cabinet, with special emphasis on the Minister of Interior, Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

With tweets and photographs of the president juxtaposed with those of the minister, the hashtag #BTOIsWorking trended with #RenewedHope.

“This is an appreciation post to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR for appointing Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo as Minister of Interior,” tweeted @laredopearl on X (previously Twitter). We thank you, sir, for providing us with a man who is capable and capable of the job.”

“This is an appreciation post to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR for appointing Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo as Minister of Interior,” tweeted @laredopearl on X (previously Twitter). We thank you, sir, for providing us with a man who is capable and capable of the job.”

Sanni Abraham described the president’s decision of appointing Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo as a side one. “My profound appreciation to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his wise decision in his ministerial appointments particularly the appointment of Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo as the Minister of Interior. Thanks for your commitment to good governance.”

According to @fridayumoh, the minister’s appointment is already producing “positive results.” “The choice of Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo as Minister of Interior is already yielding results.” President Bola Ahmed Tinubu deserves credit for bringing him on board.”

With the work rate of Honorable Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo at the Ministry of Interior, there is need to give kudos to Mr. President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for spotting such a great talented & intelligent man as he sails his #RenewedHope agenda to better NGR #BTOisWorking,” @AbuAbdulHameed7 wrote.

A Christian group on X, Christian Youth Movement, CYMFT @CYM2023, compared the minister’s selection to the President’s prior choice as Lagos State Governor. “It’s often said that @officialABAT is a great head hunter, and with @BTOofficial joining @ProfOsinbajo and Former Lagos State Governor Fashola, this is proving to be true.” “Please join me in giving #PBAT flowers.”

The Minister, according to a popular influencer on X Eniola of Lagos @eniolaofLagos, is a new bride. “#BTOisWorking: Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Interior Minister, appears to be the new bride…Thank you, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for renewing our hope.”

Facebook users also took to the app to express their gratitude to the president. Adeleke Olorunwa Emmanuel characterized the minister as the “best man for the job” in a Facebook post, congratulating Mr. President. “Thank you for appointing the best man for the job, @officIaLBat.” Nigerians will never forget this kind act. #NewDawnWithBTO #SpotLightOnBTO”

“We’re excited about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership in appointing Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo as Interior Minister, to help the Nigeria Immigration Service,” Oluwafemi Lanrewaju stated.

The minister has received praise for his directive to the Nigeria Immigration Service to remove passport backlogs.

He was chosen the most influential minister (so far) in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration in a viral poll conducted on X.

searchng4love:
Gone insane since the principal lost woefully.

Laolu Akande, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s aide believes the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) inability to electronically transmit results of the presidential and National Assembly polls has broken Nigerians’ trust in the agency.


While INEC had in the lead up to the February 2023 exercise repeatedly said it would transmit polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), that did not happen during the presidential and National Assembly elections.

Despite criticisms from Nigerians, the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) ruled that the electoral umpire is at liberty to determine how to transmit election results.

In the wake of the development, Akande said INEC’s inability to e-transmit results has reduced the commission’s trust level among Nigerians.


It is important to establish something we cannot basically run away from. INEC came out of this election as a damaged good. There is no doubt about that. INEC itself set up a standard. INEC determined the guidelines. INEC committed to the people of Nigeria that this is how we are going to declare the result of this election. In fact, the chairman of INEC went abroad and said, ‘What we are going to do is that this results, when we get it, we would put it on IReV in real-time’,” he said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday.

According to him, the comment heightened people’s trust in the electoral umpire.

“But guess what? When it was time for INEC to fulfill its guidelines – for certain reasons we could talk about that- INEC failed to do what it said it would do. Now it is right that if you look at the law, and I think the judges also affirmed, INEC has not really broken the law. But INEC has broken the trust of the Nigerian people,” he added.

The development, he argued, not only affects INEC’s integrity, it raises legitimacy questions for those who won the elections


“It is a problem for political legitimacy for people who came out of that system,” the former VP aide said.

“So, there is a lot of cynicism, there is a lot of distrust [about those declared winners]. INEC is for that,” he noted

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has on Thursday given a marching order to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), demanding the swift clearance of over 200,000 international passports pending applications in two weeks.

The Minister gave the order during a meeting with top government officials, the Acting Comptroller General, Adepoju Carol, and the Managing Director of Iris Smart Technologies, a third-party company in charge of the production of passport booklets.

The order comes in furtherance to his promise to remove “bottlenecks in the acquisition of passports and other immigration documents.

Delays in the processing and enrolment of passports in Nigeria have been a source of frustration for citizens, causing significant delays in obtaining crucial travel documents.

The Minister noted that having to deal with about 200,000 backlogs calls for a national emergency.

He said: “As far as I am concerned, the issue of passport is a national emergency. I keep getting emails daily from Nigerians complaining. We cannot continue like that.

“It has become an embarrassment to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I represent him here as your minister. That embarrassment is mine now. I am not changing my words. I need the backlog cleared in two weeks.”

During the meeting, the Acting Comptroller General, Adepoju Carol, and Managing Director, Yinka Fisher, assured the Minister that all necessary resources and measures would be deployed to ensure the expedited processing of these pending passport applications.

Adepoju disclosed that though the number of enrolments as of Thursday morning spilled into 200,000 across the country, the agency had been able to secure enough booklets to clear the backlog.

In a similar development, the Minister held a strategic meeting with the Controller General of the Federal Fire Service, Abdulganiyu Jaji; the Controller General of the Nigeria Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa; the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ahmed Audi.

Alao Babatunde, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Minister of Interior said that in the meeting, the Minister issued a directive for the creation of a practical and executable roadmap that entails timelines, approach, deliverables, and methodology.

The directive, according to the Minister, must be fulfilled within a four-week timeframe.

ojun50:
Some people go still believe this man, na him dey capture and process the passport. Them first talk one Month and two weeks for collection , that never possible na two weeks.

Make una dey hope

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, says clearing all passport backlogs shouldn’t take more than two weeks, adding that there is no excuse for passport delay in Nigeria


Tunji-Ojo made this known during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday.

He also said “clearing all backlogs shouldn’t take more than two weeks”, adding that the scarcity and delay around fresh passport issuance and renewal fuelled corruption in the sector.

“After clearing these backlogs, no Nigerian should wait for more than two weeks,” he stressed.

The minister said owning the green passport is a right of every Nigerian and not a privilege.

He said, “It’s a right and not a privilege, Nigerians want that right to be actually theirs, not by somebody offering you your right.”

According to him, it is not excusable for any Nigerian to be treated with disrespect because of passport application.

“What Nigerians want to see is solutions and that is what the President has constantly told us… No excuses.

“In line with the directive of Mr President, it can no longer be business as usual. We have critically analysed all these scenarios – from the point of going online to fill the form to the point of payment, to the point of picking a date, to the point of biometrics, to the point of issuance of passports. And we understand the service providers involved and we have been able to see one or two things to put right,” he said.



The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, says clearing all passport backlogs shouldn’t take more than two weeks, adding that there is no excuse for passport delay in Nigeria.


Tunji-Ojo made this known during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday.

He also said “clearing all backlogs shouldn’t take more than two weeks”, adding that the scarcity and delay around fresh passport issuance and renewal fuelled corruption in the sector.

“After clearing these backlogs, no Nigerian should wait for more than two weeks,” he stressed.

The minister said owning the green passport is a right of every Nigerian and not a privilege.



He said, “It’s a right and not a privilege, Nigerians want that right to be actually theirs, not by somebody offering you your right.”

According to him, it is not excusable for any Nigerian to be treated with disrespect because of passport application.

“What Nigerians want to see is solutions and that is what the President has constantly told us… No excuses.

“In line with the directive of Mr President, it can no longer be business as usual. We have critically analysed all these scenarios – from the point of going online to fill the form to the point of payment, to the point of picking a date, to the point of biometrics, to the point of issuance of passports. And we understand the service providers involved and we have been able to see one or two things to put right,” he said.

Tunji-Ojo also said he is in talks with service providers and the Nigeria Immigration Service to digitise and decentralise the process of fresh passport issuance and renewal.

“We have to digitise and we also have to decentralise the whole enrolment system and make it (possible) for people to walk into the nearest post office, people can walk into may be financial institutions and some many other ways. We are still playing with so many ideas,” he said.