•Stakeholders demand professionals, warn against politicisation
By Okwe Obi, Abuja
The recent appointment of about 15 All Progressives Congress (APC) state chairmen as board chairmen of key agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has sparked widespread criticism, just as it raised concerns over the Tinubu administration’s commitment to tackling food insecurity.
Critics argue that many of the appointees are square pegs in round holes as they lack the requisite agricultural expertise needed to drive growth in such a broad and technically demanding sector.
Among the appointees are Alphonsus Ogar Eba (Cross River APC Chairman), who will head the Governing Council of the Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria, Benin City; Austian Agada (Benue APC Chairman), now Chairman of the Nigerian Agricultural Seed Council (NASC); and Abdullahi Abbas (Kano APC Chairman), appointed as Board Chairman of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service.
Others include Macdonald Ebere (Imo APC Chairman) for the Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology, Lagos; Ubong Stephen Ntukekpo (Akwa Ibom APC Chairman) for the National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research, New Bussa; and Emperor Jarrett Tenebe (Edo APC Chairman) for the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure.
Further appointments are Aminu Sani Gumel (Jigawa APC Chairman) to the Federal College of Produce Inspection and Stored Products Technology, Kano, and Barr. Idris Shuaibu (Adamawa APC Chairman) to the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Ibadan, among others.
While some have welcomed the appointments, others insist that only seasoned agricultural professionals should be entrusted with such strategic roles if Nigeria is serious about revitalising its food production systems.
“This is what we have been saying, that the government is not serious about agriculture. The emergency food declaration by President Bola Tinubu is a mere political statement. Agriculture is a very sensitive sector that only experts should be allowed to occupy any position,” said Emmanuel Adakule, a fish farmer.
“Bringing APC state chairmen who have no background in agriculture is merely a job for the boys. And as it stands, we do not need that. By virtue of this kind of appointment, they will begin to influence appointments of their cronies into sensitive positions and challenge the policy of the different agencies or commissions they are heading,” he added.
Saidu Mohammed, a tomato farmer, corroborated, expressing disappointment but not surprise.
“I thought the government had said portfolio farmers would not be given the opportunity to operate again.
“The government even said it would clean up the farmers’ register. But what we are seeing is the direct opposite. How can you appoint political party chairmen as board chairmen of agriculture agencies? It is unfortunate. For some of us, the appointment did not come as a surprise because the government is not sincere in the fight against hunger. It is evident from this appointment,” Mohammed remarked.
However, Alphonsus Eba, who also leads the APC Chairmen Forum, defended the appointments, assuring that the new board chairmen are not novices in agriculture.
“We are not just coming as politicians. We are coming as farmers with experience,” Eba said.
“We are people interested in ensuring the success of Mr. President’s promises to Nigeria, to deliver on food security and make us food sovereign,” he added, urging agency heads to work collaboratively with the new appointees.
Supporting this position, Alpha Jackden, a farmer and consultant, argued that board appointments are typically political and not necessarily based on technical expertise.
“In a democratic dispensation, when you appoint people into boards, they serve mostly at the pleasure of the appointing authority,” Jackden explained.
“As board chairmen, they do not have to be experts. Quite often, being a board chairman is just a job for the boys, it’s a reward for political loyalty. These are people who probably helped Mr. President to achieve his ambition, and this is a way to compensate them,” he stated.
Jackden acknowledged the importance of technical expertise but maintained that in many cases, board chairmen serve largely administrative and supervisory roles.
“The question is, is there any sector today that is not specialised? Health, agriculture, aviation, tourism, all require expertise. Hence, ideally, we should have square pegs in square holes.
“But to be honest, as I said, being a board chairman is largely about political patronage.
Their role is mainly to keep agencies in check while the day-to-day operations are handled by the MDs, Executive Secretaries, or Director Generals,” he noted.
President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kabir Ibrahim, also downplayed the controversy, insisting the appointments were normal practice.
“Anybody can be appointed as chairman of a parastatal. It does not necessarily mean that the agency will become politicised. When the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was in power, it appointed political party chairmen to boards too,” Ibrahim said.
“They have appointed people in works who were not engineers, and in health who were not health professionals. It does not matter. If a professional is appointed to his field, it is a bonus. The president himself is not a doctor or an agriculturist, yet he oversees everything. So, this is normal. These appointments are a form of political compensation,” he said.