{"id":66723,"date":"2025-05-27T14:42:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T14:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/?p=66723"},"modified":"2025-05-27T14:42:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T14:42:11","slug":"fg-clears-200000-passports-%e2%82%a628bn-debt-without-extra-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/2025\/05\/27\/fg-clears-200000-passports-%e2%82%a628bn-debt-without-extra-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"FG Clears 200,000 Passports, \u20a628bn Debt Without Extra Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Adenike Lawal<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nigeria\u2019s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has disclosed that the Federal Government has successfully cleared over 200,000 pending passport applications and paid off \u20a628 billion in inherited debts-all achieved without any additional financial support from the national budget.<\/p>\n

Tunji-Ojo made this revelation during a keynote address at the Access Bank Guest Lecture Series in Lagos, where he spoke on the theme, \u201cDare to Dream, Dare to Innovate.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the Minister, the sweeping reforms were made possible through a deliberate embrace of technology, strategic planning, and leadership driven by foresight rather than reaction.<\/p>\n

\u201cReal leadership is about anticipating problems and designing solutions before they become crises,\u201d he told the audience of policymakers, business leaders, and technocrats, adding that \u201cEvery leader must constantly ask: What is the purpose? What\u2019s the strategy? And when is the right time to act?\u201d<\/p>\n

Tunji-Ojo outlined several technological initiatives introduced under his tenure, including the deployment of an e-visa system, contactless passport renewal services for Nigerians in the diaspora, and upgraded passenger surveillance protocols.<\/p>\n

These innovations, he said, have not only improved efficiency but also restored public confidence in the passport issuance process.<\/p>\n

Addressing challenges within Nigeria\u2019s correctional system, Tunji-Ojo described the current state of the nation\u2019s prisons as “deeply troubling.”<\/p>\n

He emphasized that over 4,000 inmates are languishing in detention simply because they cannot afford fines as low as \u20a650,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is more than a legal issue it\u2019s a moral indictment. A society that criminalizes poverty more harshly than actual crime has lost its ethical direction,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

To address the injustice, the ministry is collaborating with private donors to secure the release of these non-violent offenders and is pushing forward reforms centered on rehabilitation over punishment.<\/p>\n

Among the reforms are plans for digital case tracking systems, vocational training within prisons, and public-private partnerships aimed at improving living conditions for inmates.<\/p>\n

\u201cA correctional facility should serve to correct, not to condemn,\u201d Tunji-Ojo added. \u201cThere can be no justice without dignity-otherwise, what we call justice is merely oppression in disguise.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event also saw praise from Access Holdings Chairman, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, who commended the Minister for redefining what public service can look like.<\/p>\n

\u201cInnovation isn\u2019t about having more money it\u2019s about thinking bigger,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The lecture was part of Access Bank\u2019s broader effort to inspire systemic change in Nigeria through dialogue on leadership, service, and national development.<\/p>\n

Closing his remarks, Tunji-Ojo urged Nigerians to strive for purposeful living and collective progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet Access Bank symbolize more than finance let it stand for a philosophy. And let Nigeria move beyond being a country of untapped potential to a nation known for measurable performance. It\u2019s time we refined our genius instead of simply exporting\u00a0it,\u201d\u00a0he\u00a0said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Adenike Lawal Nigeria\u2019s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has disclosed that the Federal Government has successfully cleared over 200,000 pending passport applications and paid off \u20a628 billion in inherited debts-all achieved without any additional financial support from the national budget. Tunji-Ojo made this revelation during a keynote address at the Access Bank Guest Lecture […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":66724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[177],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abuja-reports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66723"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66725,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66723\/revisions\/66725"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}