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From Taiwo Oluwadare, Ibadan
Nigerians and Ondo State indigenes resident in Canada have urged the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to consider contesting the governorship of Ondo State, citing his performance in office and the reforms being implemented under his leadership.
The call was made during a dinner reception organised for Tunji-Ojo, popularly known as BTO, in Brampton, Canada, following his participation in the Nigeria Diaspora Economic Conference held in downtown Toronto from August 12 to 14.
According to a statement signed by the Convener of the Pan-Afrikan Drum Festival in Canada, Prince Segun Akanni, the reception at Mandarin Restaurant brought together Nigerian-Canadians, professionals, community leaders and Ondo State indigenes for discussions on governance, national development and the future of Ondo State.
The event was coordinated by Prince Olujimi Adekanle, popularly known as JAF, Chief Executive Officer of Savanah News.
Among those in attendance were Prof. Francis Fasanu, Professor of International Finance and Management Consultant at Sheridan College; Hon. Kelechi “Kaycee” Madu, a lawyer and former Canadian government official; and Otunba Femi Salako, Chief Executive Officer of Triangle Media, among other guests.
During the interaction, participants commended Tunji-Ojo’s record as Minister of Interior and urged him to consider offering himself for the leadership of Ondo State when the opportunity arises.
Tunji-Ojo, however, made no political commitment, advising those at the gathering to be patient and noting that “there is a time for everything.”
Akanni said the comments had nevertheless renewed conversations about the minister’s political future and his possible role in the next phase of Ondo State politics.
The commendations, he noted, came against the backdrop of reforms attributed to Tunji-Ojo since his appointment as Minister of Interior by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in August 2023.
According to him, the ministry under Tunji-Ojo has pursued reforms in passport administration, immigration services, border management, digitalisation and internal security.
He said one of the major challenges addressed by the ministry was the backlog of passport applications, with the ministry reporting that more than 204,000 pending applications were cleared within weeks.
Akanni also highlighted initiatives including contactless passport renewal for eligible Nigerians abroad, electronic immigration gates at major airports, Advanced Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record systems, digital visa processing, as well as improvements in passport production and personalisation.
“These reforms have attracted particular attention among Nigerians in the diaspora, many of whom regularly access Nigerian passport and immigration services,” he said.
He added that public officials should ultimately be judged by the extent to which their reforms make government institutions faster, safer, more transparent and more responsive to citizens.
Akanni further noted that Tunji-Ojo’s professional background in engineering, information and communications technology, business and management had influenced his approach to governance, particularly through the use of technology to reduce bottlenecks and improve institutional efficiency.
He said the reform agenda had also extended to the Nigerian Correctional Service, where the ministry had focused on decongestion, rehabilitation, accountability and improved welfare.
“The ministry has reported a reduction in the custodial population from more than 86,000 inmates to about 81,450, partly through interventions involving persons incarcerated for relatively minor and bailable offences,” Akanni said.
He added that Tunji-Ojo constituted an Independent Investigative Panel following allegations of misconduct, corruption and preferential treatment within the correctional system.
According to him, the panel examined correctional facilities and made recommendations covering overcrowding, infrastructure, healthcare, inmate welfare, accountability, rehabilitation, non-custodial alternatives and digitalisation.
Akanni also cited reforms involving the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, with emphasis on institutional capacity, coordination, intelligence, technology, protection of critical national assets and preventive security.
On Tunji-Ojo’s political trajectory, he recalled that the Akoko-born politician represented Akoko North East/Akoko North West Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, where he served as Chairman of the House Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission.
He was re-elected in 2023 before his appointment as Minister of Interior.
“His transition from an ICT professional to federal legislator and cabinet minister has established him as one of the prominent political figures from Ondo State,” Akanni concluded.I
