By Bright Okuta
While surfing the internet in the early hours of today September 13, I stumbled upon a Twitter poll that asked Twitter users to vote for the minister with the most impressive performance so far in the Bola Tinubu administration.
The ministers on the list were the Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu; the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo and “others” which was an option for any other minister not mentioned on options A—C but should be specified in the comment section.
I voted “others” to reveal the scores, and I was surprised to see the minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo as the poll winner with a percentage score of 66% while the remaining options shared 34%.
For a moment, I wondered why the Minister of Interior won the poll with such a high margin over others. Then out of curiosity, I decided to do a quick research about the 41-year-old former parliamentarian.
To be frank, Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo pricked my nerves. Without a minuscule exaggeration, the minister has registered quite a remarkable achievement in less than a month since he was inaugurated.
Away from his stint as a Member of the House of Representatives representing Akoko North East/Akoko North West, Tunji-Ojo has taken drastic actions depicting someone with an appetite for public service. I will write a little about what I found out.
There is a popular quote that competent leaders are identified by their blueprint or roadmap, usually backed by workable actions. This quote can confidently be ascribed to the honourable minister with justification.
Firstly, after he was inaugurated by the president, he released 8-point promises to Nigerians as goals to achieve as ministers. Amongst these points was the “Removal of bottlenecks in the acquisition of passports and other immigration documents.”
There is no iota of doubt that nine out of every ten Nigerians who occasionally travel out of the country have had an arduous experience in the process of acquiring a passport in Nigeria Immigration Service.
When I saw this as one of his blueprints, I blew it off because we have heard sweeter words from previous ministers in various ministries who ended up with abysmal performance.
But I was proven wrong. How? As I write, over 60,000 passport backlogs have been confirmed to be cleared within four days. This is just after Tunji-Ojo issued a stern directive six days ago to those in charge of passports to clear all pending passport applications with alacrity.
With my personal experience as a Nigerian applying for a passport, I don’t wish even my worst foe to have an encounter with the frustration of acquiring a passport. It is refreshing to note that the minister is being intentional about this and other issues.
I do not pour encomiums on politicians (whether elected or appointed) who perform, because it is what they are expected to do having been elected or appointed, but I am writing this because the Interior Ministry is one important ministry that has had little or no impact in the past and it is also important to commend effective actions by public office holders regardless of political affiliation. The decay in various agencies under the ministry has been left floating for too long without a minister with bold ideas to effect a change.
This is just one of the achievements that has so far been recorded. I will keep an eye on Tunji-Ojo going forward. I commend his energy and gusto for swift action in the Nigeria Immigration Service and other agencies under the Interior Ministry.
Bright Okuta writes from Abuja, Nigeria’s capital and can be reached via brightokuta@gmail.com
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
