Interior Minister, Tunji-Ojo Says ‘No More Paperwork’; Launches Electronic Records System
ABUJA- The Ministry of Interior’s Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS), Electronic Records and Archiving System (intERAS), was officially launched on Monday 1st September, 2025.
Ibom Focus reports that intERAS is a digital platform created to promote paperless governance, enhance transparency and accountability, and improve service delivery within the Ministry of Interior.
An event to mark the end of paper recording and the official take-off of intERAS, held at the Ministry’s Headquarters in Abuja, had in attendance the Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack and her team.
Speaking during the launch, the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo emphasized the need for technology to play its role in governance.
According to him, you cannot run any process without catalysts, stressing that technology is that catalyst which speeds up the rate of progress.
“I have always maintained that technology will never replace human capacity, but it will enhance it and make us more efficient. As an IT person myself, I fully understand the value of INTERAS.
“My policy has always been that no file stays overnight on my desk. With this system, I can now work on the move, run a mobile office, and process documents faster and more efficiently”, he stated.
Dr. Tunji-Ojo stated that the Citizenship and Business Department of the Ministry is now fully automated, adding that applications for citizenship, business permits, or even marriage licenses can now be done online.
“No more paperwork. Similarly, quota administration is now fraud-proof through harmonized data with the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
“Today, we issue electronic SEPAC instead of manual forms that once forced applicants to travel across local governments just to make purchases.
“We also built an 8.3 petabyte, Tier-4 data center to ensure the government retains ownership of its data, powered by solar for sustainability. Our borders are now monitored with advanced surveillance and the United Nations-mandated Advanced Passenger Information System, which allows us to know who is entering Nigeria before they arrive. Immigration profiling is now objective and data-driven.
“Even the Federal Fire Service has been automated to monitor response times with verifiable data. None of these reforms would have been possible without the unwavering support of Mr. President, who has never turned down a memo relating to public service transformation. That is what strategic leadership looks like.
“For us in the Ministry of Interior, this is only the beginning. We will not stop until the ministry is fully automated and all its agencies are integrated into INTERAS”, the Minister assured.
Mrs. Walson-Jack disclosed that the Ministry of Interior has become the 18th Ministry to go live on the ECM platform.
Commending the Minister, she stated, “Under your dynamic and reform-minded leadership, the Ministry of Interior has become a model of innovation and efficiency in the public service”.
According to her, Dr. Tunji-Ojo has demonstrated vision in digital reforms – modernizing passport issuance, streamlining visa and residence permit applications, and strengthening border management systems.
“These efforts have touched millions of lives directly, including ours, when guests from outside the country were able to obtain visas seamlessly and in record time.
“By steering the Ministry of Interior to become the 18th ministry to go live on the ECM platform, you have proven that with vision, teamwork, and commitment, digital transformation is achievable”, she said.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, harped on the commitments to ensuring intERAS becomes a reality, stating that all the departments in the Ministry are fully automated and have computers to work with.
Part of the event was the commissioning of the Ministry’s ICT room.
