At Access Bank GLS, Tunji-Ojo Calls for Innovation-driven Public, Private Sector

Nume Ekeghe

The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has outlined a sweeping vision for innovation-driven governance, ethical leadership, and urgent reform in the country’s correctional system.

He delivered a compelling charge to public and private sector leaders in his speech at the Access Bank Guest Lecture Series (GLS), tagged, “Dare to Dream, Dare to Innovate,”  held in Lagos.

Tunji-Ojo drew on his background as an ethical hacker to illustrate how great leadership, like in cybersecurity, must be proactive, identifying and fixing vulnerabilities before they become crises. “Leadership is not about reacting to problems, it is about foreseeing and solving them before they occur,” he said. “And for that, you must always ask: What is your purpose? How will you execute it? And when is the right time to act?”

Tunji-Ojo showcased the transformation underway at the Ministry of Interior since he took office, including the clearance of a backlog of over 200,000 unprocessed passport applications and the elimination of N28 billion in legacy debt. These achievements, he noted, were realised without additional financial aid from the federal government. Instead, the ministry deployed a strategy built on system integration, technology innovation, and financial self-sufficiency. Among the innovations highlighted were the rollout of e-visa platforms, contactless passport renewals for Nigerians in the diaspora, advanced passenger information systems, and the commissioning of a Tier-4 data centre to support round-the-clock immigration services.

In one of the most resonant moments of the event, the Minister spoke passionately about the broken state of Nigeria’s correctional system. He revealed that over 4,000 inmates were being held in custodial centres nationwide simply because they could not afford to pay fines as low as N50,000.

Chairman of Access Holdings Plc, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede who welcomed the minister to the lecture series, praised his clarity of vision and decisive leadership. “What Dr. Tunji-Ojo has demonstrated is that innovation is not about big budgets, it is about big thinking,” Aig-Imoukhuede said. “His approach to public service reflects the same DNA of impact and excellence that defines Access Group.”