Tunji-Ojo: We Can’t Surmount Insecurity, Achieve Economic Aspirations Amid Inefficiencies in Public Service

· Africa’s future depends on quality of leadership in public institutions, says Aig-Imoukhuede

James Emejo in Abuja

Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has declared that the country cannot surmount its economic, developmental and security challenges without addressing the inherent inefficiencies in the public sector.

The minister spoke at the closing ceremony/graduation of the fifth cohort of the AIG Public Leaders Programme (PLP) in Abuja.

He said, “Any public service that is not built on the altar of efficiency will end up being deficient. And when you talk about structural deficiency, you never can tell how it will haunt you.

“As my mother will always tell me: if you do not conquer greed and inefficiency in public service – greed and inefficiency will make you deficient. That is the truth.

“In our journey of public service, we must understand that we cannot break the shackles of underdevelopment, we cannot break the economic shackles, and we cannot break the shackles of insecurity if we do not break the shackles of inefficiency in public service.”

Tunji-Ojo who gave the keynote address titled, ‘Transforming Africa’s Public Sector: Harnessing Visionary Leadership for Economic Growth’, commended the foresight of Chairman, AIG Foundation, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, and Executive Vice-Chair of the foundation, Ofovwe Aig- Imoukhuede, for making huge sacrifices to fix the rot in the nation’s public service which remained crucial for its overall development.

This came as Aig-Imoukhuede said Africa’s future depended on the quality of leadership within public institutions, noting that the event was “not just another ceremony; it is a milestone in our collective journey to build a stronger, more effective public service in Africa” as well as commitment to governance, leadership, and national development.”

However, the minister declared that Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede had “not just created institutions — you have created sustainable institutions. And I want to say a big thank you for the legacy that you are creating.”

He also pointed out that to achieve public sector efficiency and fight corruption, there was a need to reduce human contact to the barest minimum.

The minister said, “In distilling this topic, the first thing I want to say is Africa. I sincerely believe that God has blessed Africa. God has really blessed us. Not just in terms of resources. Not just in terms of what we have. Not just in terms of who we are.

“The greatest asset of Africa is Africans. And I have always believed that when we understand the true meaning of service, then Africa will have a different story to tell.

“The public sector remains the single most influential mechanism shaping social reality and organising a nation’s possibilities. People talk about public servants or civil servants as if they are just civil servants, but I do not see it that way.”

He said, “For me, in the three years of my service, God has blessed me with the best human beings as public servants. And we must understand that the public service is a hybrid of public and service.

“The greatest honour a man can have is to be given the opportunity to serve his people. There is no greater honor than that. In a country of over 240 million people, how many public servants do we have? Then you will know how fortunate and how lucky you are to be called a public servant.

“And we must understand that for every action you take as a public servant, it is not about you — it is about generations. The difference between a leader and a statesman is simple: A leader thinks of the next election, but a statesman thinks of the next generation.”

Continuing, the minister stated, “When I became Minister of Interior, for example, we had a passport backlog of over 204,000 applications. We asked: What is the problem? At the end of the day, we discovered the problem was not capacity. It was bottlenecks and emotional attachment to business as usual.

“And I told my team: if you want a legacy, you must be allergic to business as usual. If what you do is just usual, then you can never be exceptional. Within two weeks, using the same officers and the same resources, we cleared a backlog that had lasted eight years.

“That is why I say: you must strategically detach yourself from the culture of business as usual. Visionary leadership is not defined by authority or position, but by the capacity to imagine systems that function better than those inherited.”

Furthermore, he said, “Before I became Chairman of the NDDC Committee, NDDC spent twenty years in rented apartments — an agency that projects trillions of naira, yet could not house itself for twenty years.

“When we arrived, we made a decision. In less than two years, we built the biggest building you have in that environment today.Today, NDDC houses itself. And we said something that day: when you are building a system, you might think you are the architect.

“But you never know — maybe in the future it is your children that will be forced to live in it. So, what you build will always wait for you. To Cohort Five, I tell you: whatever you have learned is immaterial as long as you do not rightly apply what you have learned.

“The most brilliant and qualified people in Nigeria can write fantastic papers. But the real question is the will. It is that split second when you need to make a choice between what is right and what is wrong. That split second when you need to choose between greed and efficiency. That is the defining moment of everybody’s career.”

He said, “Sadly, the most enticing option is often the option of inefficiency. But the question I always ask is: if you take the inefficient option, can you live with the deficiency? We must ask ourselves that question.”

“One of the major problems in developing countries is that attachment to legacy systems and traditions is very strong. People will tell you: This is how we used to do it. But the question I always ask is: This is how we used to do it — but is it working? Leadership is not a popularity contest. You either want to be popular or you want to be efficient — pick one.”

In his remarks, Aig-Imoukhuede, said Africa’s future depended on the quality of leadership within its public institutions, adding that “As the fifth cohort of the AIG Public Leaders Programme concludes, each cycle deepens our understanding of why this journey began, and why it must continue.”

He said, “We often hear that this is Africa’s moment. But let us speak plainly: it may well be Africa’s test. In a world of accelerating uncertainty, economic realignments, geopolitical tensions and technological disruption, our continent faces immense pressure. Our combined population is young and dynamic, our resources vast, our potential enormous.

“Yet we remain 54 sovereign nations, fragmented and still playing catch-up in a global order that moves at relentless speed. The challenge is not mere acceleration; it is catching up decisively, collectively, and without delay, through competence, coordination, and execution that delivers real results for citizens.

“That is precisely why the AIG Public Leaders Programme exists. It was created to equip high-potential public servants with the tools, mindset, and networks needed to meet this test head-on and drive genuine transformation across the continent.

“Not through grand declarations or endless rhetoric, but through disciplined execution: identifying what truly delivers value to citizens, removing bottlenecks, making the necessary trade-offs, standardising excellence where it works, and scaling it relentlessly so that impact reaches lives at scale.”

He said in the early days of Nigeria’s post democratic consolidation, it became evident that meaningful transformation does not happen without a strong, capable public service, adding that though “markets are essential, they cannot substitute for public-sector leadership”.

Aig-Imoukhuede said, “Look at the nations that have risen rapidly, strong institutions, disciplined execution, and leaders willing to make hard choices were not optional; they were foundational.

“We cannot afford mediocrity. Africa needs public sector leaders who understand that impact demands trade-offs: saying no to the expedient when the necessary is uncomfortable; prioritising long-term institutional health over short-term applause; choosing collaboration over silos; and recognising that reform is not rhetoric, it is operational, disciplined, and often lonely work.

“To our graduating cohort, over these months, you have engaged deeply, sharpened your strategic thinking, confronted uncomfortable realities, built cross-border alliances, and designed reform projects that address real systemic issues. Well done. But certificates and applause fade quickly. What endures is impact.

“When you return to your roles, the only question that matters is this: Has service to citizens improved because of your presence? Have processes become more efficient, institutions more resilient, lives more dignified? If the answer is no, then the title, the position, the training, all of it loses meaning.”

He teased that “One day, Nigeria will have most of its leaders having passed through this programme”, congratulating about 70 participants of the fifth cohort whom he said came from Nigeria and seven countries across Africa.