Federal Government on Thursday introduce more sweeping reforms in the Ministry of Interior, state plans to arm some private guards companies, licence private firefighters and ensure the delivery of international passports to Nigerians within a maximum of one week. Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who disclosed these ambitious plans at the ministry’s Mid-Tenure/2025 Sectoral Performance Retreat held at Zuma Rock Resorts, Suleja, Niger State, added that most of the proposals require legislative interventions. He said that Nigeria’s passport regime and immigration processes have been fundamentally overhauled to deliver efficiency, cut corruption and restore integrity to the nation’s travel documents. The Minister who said his mandate under President Bola Tinubu’s administration was anchored on “simple solutions to complex problems”, declared that leadership is not a popularity contest. “My responsibility is to do what is right, not what is convenient. Nigerians deserve efficiency, not bottlenecks,” Tunji-Ojo said. He also threw his weight behind the ongoing legislative efforts to overhaul the Private Guards Act, stressing that the country can no longer avoid the debate on whether private security companies should be allowed to carry firearms.
Speaking on the proposed Private Security Bill, Tunji-Ojo said; “And on the private security bill, your thoughts are my thoughts. In fact, as we speak, we have the draft already with the Ministry of Justice, because I sincerely think that for a country of 230 million people, where our security agencies are stretched and with emerging threats to national security, we need to act. The trends are changing, “And of course, it is not even an amendment, because the bill was under the Private Guards Act of 1986, if I am not wrong. That law is obsolete. We have to repeal and enact a new one,” he said.
Hefurther said that consultants had been engaged to study global best practices in private security regulation. “What we have done is to get consultants who studied how similar frameworks work in the UAE, in the UK, and even in emerging countries like ours. The key issue is about the ability to carry weapons. My own opinion is that it’s a debate we must have. We cannot shy away from it.” On his recommendations, the Minister said the Office of the National Security Adviser ONSA should be vested with the authority to regulate armed private security firms. “My humble suggestion is that the Office of the National Security Adviser ONSA should be empowered. If a security company wants to carry weapons, then the NSA’s office must profile the company and its employees, register them and issue the license. That way, companies can be given limited authorization to carry. That is why the Office of the NSA exists. For me, we can’t run away from this debate. If we don’t allow some of them—not all—to carry weapons, then what we have is not really security, but just gate men. That is the truth, because people want to feel protected, and here, protection is often only perceived when someone is visibly armed.”
Tunji-Ojo stressed that such licensing must be backed by law and thorough vetting.
“Therefore, the Office of the NSA should, by law under the new Act, be given the power to vet and approve companies and individuals for firearms. We at the Ministry can license the companies, but the NSA must license the firearms, supported by DSS background checks and related security clearance.” Acknowledging public concerns over proliferation of weapons, the Minister said accountability mechanisms would ensure that only the right people are armed. I know there are concerns about weapons, but after all, the police carry weapons, the civil defence carries weapons, and they are all Nigerians. What matters is ensuring that only the right people are allowed to carry arms, and that there is accountability for every weapon issued”, he said. The Minister revealed that the Nigerian Immigration Service NIS now operates a Centralized Passport Personalization Center—the largest in Africa—built without fresh contracts or new government expenditure, but through renegotiation of existing agreements. Tunji-Ojo said his target remains clear: “to deliver passports within one week, ensure data integrity across immigration services, and create a transparent, technology-driven interior ministry that Nigerians and the international community can trust”.
The minister also advocated an urgent reform of the Federal Fire Service FFS, including a new legal framework to empower it and open the sector to private participation. He described the current Fire Service Act of 1963 as “obsolete and inadequate,” stressing that it neither reflects today’s realities nor gives the FFS prosecutorial or regulatory powers. “By law today, the fire service cannot prosecute, cannot enumerate and cannot even regulate. When a government agency lacks prosecution, regulation and enforcement powers, it becomes a toothless dog,” Tunji-Ojo said. The Minister argued that Nigeria’s growing population and booming economy require modern fire and rescue services, which cannot be funded by government alone.
“Government cannot keep buying fire trucks abroad. Just as we license private guard companies, we must begin to license private firefighting and rescue companies,” he declared. He revealed that his ministry was already in discussions with the National Assembly on amending the Fire Service Act to bring the law in line with global best practices and empower the FFS with regulatory authority. “In the US and UK, emergency medical services are under the fire service. That is what we must aim for. If we fail in emergency response, we fail the economy,” he warned. The Minister urged lawmakers, stakeholders and the private sector to join forces with the Executive in transforming the nation’s fire and rescue framework, describing it as a prerequisite for safety, investment and sustainable growth.
