TheCable

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, says he wants to be remembered for securing Nigerian borders and enhancing internal security when he leaves office. 

Tunji-Ojo spoke on Sunday when he was hosted by his friends and old schoolmates at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun state.

According to the minister, he would prefer to be known for securing the nation’s borders against those he described as external aggressors and arms traffickers.

“I don’t want to be remembered for addressing the bottlenecks with the issuance of international passports when I leave office,” he said.

“That is not the core mandate of my office. There are so much more. But I want to be remembered for securing Nigerian borders and enhancing internal security.”

The minister said he regretted that the issuance of international passports for qualified Nigerians had for long been seen as a privilege.

He said the core mandates of his ministry include the protection of Nigerians through border security, managing the people’s identity, making the custodial centres livable, and ensuring that fire incidences and other emergencies are addressed promptly and professionally.

He said efforts are being made to provide the required tools and gadgets at various border posts and airports to monitor real-time the activities of the movement of people and goods as it is done in advanced countries of the world.

“With adequate technology, we can achieve much and we will do just that to maintain sanity and identify every individual visiting our country and those going out of the country,” he said.

“That is the vision of President Bola Tinubu, and this is what we will achieve.”