CSOs to Tinubu: Disregard Call for Tunji-Ojo’s Sack

Ugo Aliogo

Amid the recent strident media campaign calling for the sack of the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Nigerian has thrown its weight solidly behind the Minister, describing him as the “starboy of President Bola Tinubu-led administration”.

In a statement signed Friday by Ajagun Opeyemi, the Coalition observed that the sinister plot against Tunji-Ojo is being sponsored by some cabals to discredit Tinubu’s administration.

The Coalition further expressed the view that Tunji-Ojo had not only demonstrated exceptional competence and dedication to his duties since he assumed office as the Minister of Interior about five months ago but had also clearly proven himself to be a man of impeccable honesty, transparency, and accountability, as evidenced in the laudable reforms he has engineered in the Ministry of Interior and its various Departments, Agencies, and Parastatals.

“The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria has observed with keen interest the needless sensationalism, unjustified vilification and mass cyber-bullying of the performing Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo in recent times over an allegation of corruption which is currently being investigated by the relevant agencies of government.

“From our observation and surface preliminary investigation as a coalition saddled with the responsibility of being the conscience of the public, we discovered with concern, a desperate desire and manipulative orchestration by vested interests to hang the dog, hence it has been branded a bad name. Simply put, Dr. Tunji-Ojo has become a victim of bruised egos who have been cut off from feeding fat in a corrupt system as a result of the giant reforms he has brought to bear in the Ministry of Interior since his assumption of office.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, as a civil society organisation, we are not oblivious of the fact that while many of us pray for the status quo to change in the overall interest of our country, others are working day and night to ensure that the misery of Nigerians does not go away. The contactless passport application and even home delivery being championed by the minister has come with a heavy price against his image, a result of which we are seeing today.

“Tunji-Ojo at the risk of sounding inmodest is the star boy of this administration by the virtue of the record he has has set so far among every member of the cabinet. He has demonstrated an iron-cast capacity that he came prepared for the job and ready to leave a lasting footprint. We are not surprised at the pull-him-down syndrome playing out at the moment. His resignation from the company in question before contesting for House of Representatives is in total compliance with the Federal Civil Service rule of the Federation.

“We must commend President Bola Tinubu for not bowing to the emotions being vaunted out on the media spaces with the intention to stampede him into taking hasty actions and get the very performing Minister of Interior off track. As a leader with a discerning sense of judgment, he has held a closed-door session with the minister which we believe is in connection with this allegation. Additionally, he has ordered the EFCC to carry out a thorough investigation. Instead of the mob seeking to feast on the flesh of the minister to wait patiently, they are busy calling for his suspension, a demand that has no basis in law but just a strategy to bring down the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by labelling his Ministers as corrupt.

“We must also put it on record that it is neither the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu nor the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo that is the prime target. Our source, which we do not wish to disclose here has informed us that insatiable power mongers are stoking these baseless confusions to discredit the government of President Bola Tinubu just for their selfish political interests. They are people who have been serially rejected by Nigerians yesterday, today, and in the future.

“The call for the suspension of the Interior Minister smacks of unpatriotism and insensitivity for Nigerians who have had nightmares attempting to access basic services in their fatherland, including the international passport.

“We are all witnesses to the far-reaching innovations the Minister has brought to bear in the ministry since assumption of office. For the first time in recent history of our country, we saw a minister who mobilized his friends and associates to raise funds, amounting to hundreds of millions of Naira to offset the fines of prison inmates, give them freedom, and decongest the prisons.

“Under his leadership, the Ministry has cleared a heavy backlog of passports and implemented a new platform that would allow Nigerians renew their passports from the convenience of their homes. In the coming weeks, Nigerians will start receiving their passports at their doorsteps. Who would have believed that this would be possible in this country?

“It is therefore our appeal that the President does not succumb to this orchestrated plot to blackmail his government and project it as a corrupt one. He has demonstrated readiness to allow the Rule of Law take its due course and we have no doubt Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo will be exonerated as he continues in his excellent service delivery for our people.

“On behalf of the over seventy Civil Society Organisations in the coalition, we wish to exonerate the Hon Minister of Interior, Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo of all allegations leveled against him and therefore request Mr President to disregard the calls for his removal,” the statement partly read.

The Coalition, however, called on security agencies to immediately probe the media attacks on selected federal ministries including the Federal Ministry of Interior, and bring the sponsors to book.

The CSOs also warned those behind the “needless attacks on a performing and innocent Minister” to desist from such punishable acts or face the consequences.