When Power Walks in Unannounced: What Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo Saw — and What Nigeria Heard
By Haroon Aremu Abiodun
There was no red carpet. No protocol alert. Just footsteps. On an ordinary day at the Gwagwalada and Sauka Passport Office, when files were being stamped, queues managed, complaints muted and routines rehearsed, power walked in unannounced.
It was Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Nigeria’s Minister of Interior. And for a moment, the building forgot how to breathe. The shock of presence. They had heard stories about him. They had read headlines. They had seen commendations.
In an administration led by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Tunji-Ojo had earned a reputation as one of the quiet but effective performers, a minister whose work spoke louder than press releases. But no one expected him to appear without warning. No memo, no notice, no choreography, He simply stormed the office, and suddenly, the routine became reality.
Questions without scripts ensued, he did not come to admire walls or shake hands, he asked questions. How fast are passports processed? How are citizens treated during capturing and registration? What complaints come in daily? How long does it take to do all this activities? How do officers respond to pressure?
The answers came not rehearsed, not dramatic, but diligent. The officials on duty did not collapse under scrutiny. They responded. They explained. They worked. What the minister saw was not chaos. Not excellence either. It was something in between. Fair.
And sometimes, “fair” is the most dangerous word in a country hungry for excellence. The real shock might not be in the Office. It is online
Then came the comments. Not from civil servants. Not from officials. But from citizens. The minister is doing well, that is how they should do and the comment that got me was: “I wish I could get this job”, “If I am employed, I will be diligent.” “I will be dedicated.” “I will serve better.”
Voices typed in frustration. Not rebellion. Not insults. But hunger for opportunity. Suddenly, the story shifted. The real drama was no longer about a minister’s visit, it was about a nation where the unemployed are begging to replace the employed not out of envy, but out of desperation.
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Nigeria has reached a strange moment in history. Having a job is no longer just employment. It is privilege and privilege, when taken for granted, becomes injustice.
Those who are employed must understand something painful but true: Behind every desk they occupy, there are thousands of qualified Nigerians waiting, hoping, praying for a chance to serve.
This is not an attack. It is a reminder. If you are employed, grow, improve, be diligent, be excellent because, somewhere in Nigeria, someone unemployed is ready to do your job with passion you may have forgotten.
Tunji-Ojo’s visit was commendable. But it opened a deeper national conversation. Beyond inspections, beyond reforms, beyond commendations, what is the plan for Nigerian youth? What does the Ministry of Interior truly offer young Nigerians trapped in unemployment? Yes, immigration, fire service, and paramilitary recruitments exist. Yes, exams are conducted. Yes, vacancies are announced. But the truth is brutal: Millions apply. Only thousands are taken.
And inbetween merit and selection, politics often whispers. If Nigeria must move forward, recruitment processes must be transparent, fair, and merit-driven. Not influenced by connections. Not distorted by favoritism. Because talent is wasted when opportunity is politicised.
The unexpected meaning of the unannounced visit is that Tunji-Ojo did not just inspect the office. He exposed a national tension. Between those who have jobs and those who don’t. Between performance and complacency. Between opportunity and exclusion.
His footsteps echoed beyond passport office corridors. They echoed in the minds of unemployed youths. They echoed in the conscience of civil servants. They echoed in the silent question of a nation: Are we doing enough — or just doing “fair”?
Nigeria does not need more “fair”. Nigeria needs excellence. Nigeria needs fairness in opportunity. Nigeria needs leaders who walk in unannounced — and citizens who work as if they are always being watched.
Honourable Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has shown leadership. But leadership is not a destination. It is a responsibility to do more, to open doors wider, and to prove that in Nigeria, diligence is not wasted, and opportunity is not reserved for the few.
This is because somewhere in the comments section of Nigeria, millions are waiting. And they are ready.
Haroon Aremu Abiodun is an Associate Member of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations and wrote in via [email protected].
