The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has highlighted how President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reforms have shattered over 20 years of stagnation in Nigeria’s para-military services, aligning with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaking at a Ministerial Press Briefing organized by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, at Radio House, Abuja, Tunji-Ojo praised Tinubu’s determination to push through critical reforms where previous administrations hesitated due to systemic challenges.
He detailed the president’s numerous approvals aimed at improving the welfare of para-military personnel and strengthening the nation’s security framework.
Among these reforms, he noted, was the resolution of a 19-year stagnation in promotions across the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), the Federal Fire Service (FFS), and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). Over 52,000 personnel have been promoted within two years under Tinubu’s leadership.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Yusuf Tuggar, also presented an account of his ministry’s achievements during the briefing.
In addition, Tunji-Ojo said the administration did not only cleared all backlogs of promotion, but also ensure that the reforms in the Nigeria Immigration Service, (NIS) touched all aspects of its fundamentals so much that Nigerians home and abroad now enjoy seamless acquisition of Passports from the comfort of their homes.
“These have never happened in Nigeria. Under President Tinubu, all backlogs of Passports were cleared, and now Nigerians, home and abroad can apply and acquire the documents in the comfort of their homes within the shortest period depending on the time they upload their data and necessary information,” the Minister said.
He said over 800 million naira is being saved yearly by the Federal Government from the automation system of the Nigeria Immigration Service, (NIS), stressing that the deployment of sophisticated technological infrastructures for the Services of the NIS are yielding enormous fruits for the country.
The Minister also touched the plan by the present administration to establish a para military Academy for the services, saying the idea would ensure career progression, and enable the institutions play their constitutional roles of maintaining internal security effectively and efficiently.
He also stated that the President approved reforms in the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS, with on going renovations and planned relocation of Correctional facilities that have been caught up by urbanisation.
He listed securing of Presidential approval for the recruitment of 5000 Personnel to boost the Nigerian Correctional Service’s workforce, approval to recruit 10,000 for NSCDC, and approval for the upward review of inmates’ feeding rate from N750.00 to N1,125.00 per inmate per day as part of the achievements of the administration.
He said while over 100 operational vehicles were procured for the NSCDC, the NCoS was recently provided with 40 escort duty vehicles to facilitate the conveyance of inmates to and from courts;
Tunji-Ojo further said within two years, the administration ensured the release of 4085 inmates from the Correctional facilities following a partnership with private sector who facilitated payments of over 500 million naira fine for them.
He said 3,030 inmates were rehabilitated and empowered between last year as they were given various vocational skills including: carpentry, tailoring, poultry, fishery, hairdressing and others.
The Minister further explained that some of the inmates who escaped from the Correctional facilities across the country could not be immediately captured or re-arrested because of urbanisation.
He said about 11 of such facilities would soon be relocated while others are undergoing renovations at the moment.
He said the establishment of Mining Marshals under the supervision of the Ministry of Solid Minerals have restored sanity into the country’s mining sector, while billions of naira worth of solid minerals assets are being protected by the Marshals across Nigeria.
Tunji-Ojo also said the 2025 promotion exercise and examinations have started in the para-military Services, and urged personnel to reciprocate the Federal Government efforts by committing themselves more to their duties.