Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo

Honourable Minister of Interior, Federal Republic of Nigeria

[Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo @BTOofficial]

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

#PBATVersary

[Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo @BTOofficial]

Welcome Mr President and Vice President

[Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo @BTOofficial]

Today, I welcomed the European Union Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Mr. Magnus Brunner, and his top management team on a courtesy visit to finalise our long-discussed migration agreement in my office.

As a Nation, Nigeria has moved decisively beyond slow and fragmented processes. We now have automated identity verification, harmonised national databases, and built systems that now allow real-time confirmation of nationality, reducing what once took weeks to a matter of days.

As a government, exploring practical legal pathways that serve both sides remains top priority to strengthening cooperation in our border security, combating migrant smuggling and human trafficking, and expanding structured engagement across our shared challenges for mutual benefit.

[Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo @BTOofficial]

My visit to the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) at the Olusegun Obasanjo Research and Development Centre in Abuja earlier today, reaffirmed Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to leveraging space science, satellite technology, and indigenous innovation to drive our national security, and digital economy forward.

The Director-General, Professor Matthew Olumide Adepoju, together with members of the management team, are turning this strategic vision into tangible capability.

Drawing inspiration from the strategic innovations in our ministry, we emphasized the need for greater self-reliance through commercialisation of research and reduced dependence on government funding, and how space technology can strengthen border surveillance, tracking of criminal activities, and overall national security.

[Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo @BTOofficial]

Project management is the missing link in Nigeria’s industrial transformation, and today we confronted that truth head on at the 2026 Eighth Induction and Conference of the Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (CIPMN) in Abuja, themed “Project Management: A Catalyst for Nigeria’s Industrial Transformation.”

In my keynote address, I challenged the Institute and the newly inducted professionals on the need to abandon the usual, “copy-and-paste” frameworks. Instead, we must copy, adapt and paste, to our local peculiarities.

I shared the Ministry of Interior’s practical record as evidence of what is possible. In less than three years, we have completed more than twenty automation projects across our agencies without drawing a single kobo from the Federal Government’s budget.

Importantly, the Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria, as a statutory body, needs to move beyond ceremonial functions. The Institute must champion the embedding of certified project managers across government institutions.

This will help in delivering the one trillion dollars economy dream of this government in the next few years.

[Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo @BTOofficial]

Under the leadership of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, the Federal Fire and Rescue Service is rapidly setting new standards in emergency response and public safety.

From establishing a modern, solar-powered National Fire Academy to drastically reducing response times nationwide, we are building a safer and more resilient Nigeria for everyone.

[Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo @BTOofficial]

Today, I attended the National Opening Ceremony of the 2026 National Fire Safety Week, themed "Building a Fire-Resilient Nigeria: One Community at a Time."

The theme rightly presents fire safety as a shared responsibility that government, communities, businesses and individuals must all embrace.

As a government, we are deliberately transforming the Federal Fire Service from a traditional firefighting outfit into a comprehensive emergency and rescue service. This is why the administration is repealing the outdated Fire Service Act of 1963 and has introduced the Federal Fire and Rescue Service Bill before the National Assembly.

When passed, the new law will give our officers the legal flexibility, room for innovation and authority they need to anticipate emergencies and carry out their duties effectively. It will also open up opportunities for private sector participation.

Under the visionary leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, these reforms are already delivering measurable results. In August alone, our officers responded to 136 fire incidents nationwide and rescued 119 people with zero fatalities. They also preserved assets valued at ₦23 billion and reduced the average emergency response time to 15 minutes and 22 seconds.

Work on the modern National Fire Academy in Sheda, Kwali, Abuja, is now over 85 per cent complete. The academy will run entirely on solar power, offer automated simulation environments, and accommodate 3,000 trainees at once. An additional 13 hectares has also been secured, expanding the site to 23 hectares and creating room for a dedicated institute for the professional development of our paramilitary officers.

At the operational frontline, we have deployed more than 10 new firefighting trucks, 450 drums of chemical foam, over 2,000 specialised protective tunics and 300 breathing apparatus sets, so that no officer enters a crisis without adequate protection.

On personnel welfare, nearly 100,000 promotions have been carried out across our paramilitary services between 2023 and 2026. Field commands have grown threefold, from six to 18, and lifetime pension coverage has been secured for retired Controllers General and Deputy Controllers General.

To build a culture of fire prevention across the country, we also unveiled the 2026 National Fire Safety Week logo alongside new multilingual fire safety booklets. These practical resources will make safety education more accessible and give households and businesses basic, actionable knowledge in their local languages.

All these initiatives are guided by the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and reflect our commitment to building a Federal Fire and Rescue Service that Nigerians can be proud of.

[Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo @BTOofficial]

Five weeks ago, on the clear directive of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, I inaugurated a 10-member Independent Investigative Committee to establish the full truth of the deaths in NSCDC custody in Niger State.

As a government, the findings are clear and sobering. Thirty-three lives, including fourteen minors, were lost in what the Committee has established as a preventable custodial tragedy. The evidence points to severe overcrowding, inadequate ventilation, prolonged exposure to extreme heat and dehydration, and a systemic failure of duty of care within the detention facility. These conditions, rather than any disease outbreak, led to the fatalities.

In line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, this administration remains unwavering in its commitment that every Nigerian life matters and that justice must not only be done but must be seen to have been done.

As a Ministry, we have wasted no time. The full report has been transmitted to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation for immediate judicial action. Officers who attempted to conceal, disrupt, or destroy evidence will face immediate suspension and full accountability. Comprehensive institutional reforms of the NSCDC will be driven with urgency and precision.

Above all, support for the bereaved families and the survivors remain a top priority; because under this administration, we remain keenly committed to ensuring that Nigerians get the full measure of justice they deserve.

I commend and deeply appreciate the entire Committee for their diligence, integrity, and commitment to justice. Under the chairmanship of Mr. Jonathan Kure, mni (retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services) and with Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN (former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School) as Secretary, they presented a thorough and professional report after five weeks of rigorous fieldwork.

Also, my special thanks to the other distinguished members of the Committee: retired AIG Hosea Hassan Karma; Professor Olayinka Buhari (Professor of Histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital); a representative of the Minna Emirate Council; a representative of the Niger State Government; Alhaji Liman Sulaiman (National Secretary, Miners Association of Nigeria); Deji Adeyanju (lawyer and human rights activist); Mrs. Zainab Suleiman Okino of Blueprint Newspaper; and Dr. George Agbakahi (Public Affairs Analyst). They have done the nation proud.

[Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo @BTOofficial]

At the meeting of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) today, we made far-reaching decisions to improve career progress and welfare of personnel across our paramilitary agencies.

In a historic step to boost morale and recognize meritorious service, the Board approved the promotion of over 27,000 officers across our four services. To further support our workforce, we validated a comprehensive healthcare policy framework designed to promote the health, fitness, and overall well-being of all officers and men.

On recruitment, we reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to enlist 120,000 young Nigerians into our paramilitary services over our first tenure. The process for the first tranche of 30,000 candidates has advanced, with the portal opening from 28th October to 13th November 2026 for those who have reached the oral interview stage.

Apparently, with this latest exercise, total promotions across the paramilitary agencies under the Ministry of Interior since His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR assumed office now stand at well over 100,000 officers. This comprises over 32,000 officers promoted in 2023, over 20,000 in 2024, more than 24,000 in 2025, and the just concluded over 27,000 approved today in 2026.

In the Ministry of Interior, this sustained record reflects the Renewed Hope Agenda’s unwavering commitment to ending career stagnation and building a well-motivated, disciplined, and fit workforce capable of discharging its constitutional responsibilities effectively.

[Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo @BTOofficial]

Rest on, one of the last great titans of Chief Obafemi Awolowo's progressive family.