The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Wednesday declared that Nigeria’s internal security architecture is undergoing one of its most ambitious transformations in decades, as the federal government deploys technology, integrated databases and real-time monitoring systems to modernise border management, passport administration, corrections and critical asset protection.
Speaking at the International Civil Service Conference 2026 in Abuja, the minister said the era of bureaucracy, excuses and disconnected public systems was giving way to a technology-driven governance model focused on efficiency, accountability and citizen satisfaction.
Delivering a presentation titled “Modernising Internal Security with Data-Driven Reforms,” Tunji-Ojo said the public service must now be measured by results and impact rather than routine processes, stressing that Nigerians did not elect leaders to defend inefficiency.
According to him, reform means moving from “what is” to “what ought to be,” insisting that effective governance begins with a proper understanding of national problems before solutions are designed.
“Business as usual has no place in public service. “People were finding solutions to problems they never understood. You must understand the problem for you to proffer solutions,” he said.
The minister explained that since 2023, the Ministry of Interior has pursued a broad digital transformation agenda anchored on automation, system integration and data coordination aimed at eliminating bottlenecks across agencies under the ministry.
He identified the newly centralised passport personalisation system in Abuja as one of the administration’s landmark achievements, describing it as Nigeria’s first world-class centralised passport personalisation centre since 1963.
“For the first time since 1963, we have a world-class centralised personalisation centre in Abuja,” he said, revealing that the facility now has the capacity to produce over 10,000 passports every hour.
Tunji-Ojo disclosed that the ministry inherited more than 200,000 unresolved passport applications but successfully cleared 270,000 backlogs within less than three weeks.
He added that over 3.6 million passports have been produced under the current administration.
“When people speak to systems, systems bring efficiency. We automated the process. Let people speak to systems, not people speaking to people,” he said.
On migration management and border security, the minister said Nigeria has introduced an integrated electronic visa platform and advanced passenger information systems capable of strengthening security screening while improving ease of entry for legitimate travellers and investors.
He said that visa approval timelines have now been reduced from nearly two weeks to just 48 hours, while authorities can monitor applications and delays in real time through digital dashboards accessible from anywhere.
“If any place there is delay, may it be passport, may it be visa, I can tell you from my phone,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo explained that the new system has significantly enhanced Nigeria’s ability to detect security threats and identify individuals attempting to manipulate immigration processes through multiple identities or falsified documentation.
According to him, the reforms are designed not only to strengthen national security but also to position visas as instruments of economic growth and international competitiveness.
“Visa is not just a migration control document, it is an economic enabler and enhancer,” he said.
The minister disclosed that the ministry has developed what he described as the Centralised Interior Management and Administration System (CIMAS), an integrated digital architecture connecting passport systems, border control, e-visa operations, landing cards, advanced passenger information and correctional databases into a unified network.
He said the new framework has substantially improved intelligence sharing and coordination among agencies, warning that delays in information exchange could have devastating national security consequences.
“All our systems in the Ministry of Interior are now speaking,” he stated, while referencing global security failures such as the September 11 attacks in the United States as examples of what poor inter-agency coordination can trigger.
Tunji-Ojo also highlighted the establishment of the Border and Technology Innovation Centre, equipped with uninterrupted 24-hour power supply and an 8.3-petabyte data centre designed to support the ministry’s expanding digital operations and security infrastructure.
On correctional reforms, the minister said the Tinubu administration has shifted attention toward rehabilitation, education and skills acquisition as part of efforts to reduce repeat offending and transform correctional centres into centres of reformation.
He disclosed that over 1,000 inmates are currently enrolled in various academic programmes ranging from diploma to doctorate levels, while the rate of recidivism dropped dramatically from 12,000 in 2023 to 1,100 in 2025.
“The job of the correctional centre, which is to correct, transform, rehabilitate and reform, is being achieved,” he said.
The minister also revealed that the ministry, through the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, has intensified the deployment of intelligence, mapping technology and coordinated enforcement against illegal mining and vandalism of critical national assets.
According to him, authorities have arrested 327 suspects linked to illegal mining activities, prosecuted 143 offenders and dismantled more than 1,069 illegal refineries since the reforms commenced.
Reflecting on the state of the ministry before the reforms began, Tunji-Ojo admitted that the administration inherited deep institutional weaknesses, including prolonged passport delays, poor data coordination, prison breaks and operational inefficiencies.
“I am not proud of what we inherited in 2023, but I am proud of what we have achieved. From the waiting period of months for passport, to the problem at the point of entry, to the lack of coordination of data, to the high rate of recidivism, to prison breaks — we are not where we want to be, but we are not where we were,” he said.
He maintained that although challenges remain, the country’s internal security ecosystem has recorded measurable progress under the ongoing reforms.
“The simple truth is that we are not where we were. And to me, that’s a statement of progress,” he said.
