Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has urged public and private sector leaders to embrace innovation-driven governance, ethical leadership, and urgent reform in the country’s correctional system to ensure national development.
The Minister spoke at the Access Bank Guest Lecture Series (GLS) on Friday in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Speaking on the theme: “Dare to Dream, Dare to Innovate,” the Minister said these were the ingredients needed to build the country’s future leadership.
Tunji-Ojo, who presented the keynote address, cited 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?” he said.
He showcased the transformation that he said was 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 ₦28 billion in legacy debt.
These achievements, he noted, were realised without additional financial aid from the federal government.
Instead, he said the Ministry deployed a strategy built on system integration, technology innovation, and financial self-sufficiency.
Among the innovations highlighted, the Minister disclosed, 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.
“This is not a legal crisis, it is a moral one,” he declared. “A society that punishes poverty more harshly than crime has lost its moral compass,” he said.
Dr. Tunji-Ojo explained that the Ministry has since partnered with private donors to secure the release of many of these non-violent offenders, adding that it was now pursuing structural reforms that prioritise rehabilitation over punishment.
These include digital case tracking to prevent indefinite detention, vocational training programmes within correctional centres, and public-private partnerships aimed at improving living conditions and operational efficiency.
“A correctional facility must correct, not condemn,” he said. “Justice without dignity is injustice in disguise.”
Tunji-Ojo encouraged participants to embrace a personal philosophy of excellence and purpose.
“Let Access Bank not just be a financial institution, let it be a philosophy,” he said. “Let Nigeria not just be a country of potential, let it be a nation of performance. It is time to refine our genius, not just export it.”
In his welcome speech, the Chairman of Access Holdings PLC, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, praised his clarity of vision and decisive leadership of the Minister.
“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.”
Aig-Imoukhuede noted that the Guest Lecture Series was designed to deepen the conversation around leadership, accountability, and service.
“We cannot build the Nigeria we want without leaders who understand systems, value people, and are committed to sustainable change. Today’s conversation has shown us what that looks like in action,” he said.
The event brought together executives, policymakers, and thought leaders from across the country, reinforcing Access Bank’s role as not only a financial powerhouse but also a platform for national transformation through dialogue, vision, and collaboration.
