President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the constitution of the governing boards of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), marking a major step in strengthening governance and accelerating reforms across the agriculture and education sectors.
In a statement yesterday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the President affirmed that Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, earlier appointed in July, will continue as chairman of UBEC.
The board now has full regional representation, with Uchendu Ikechi Mbaegbulem (South-East), Gift Ngo (South-South), Mrs. Ibiwunmi Akinnola (South-West), Dr. Meiro Mandara (North-East), Dr. Abdu Imam Saulawa (North-West), and Professor Paul Ibukun-Olu Bolorunduro (North-Central) appointed as members.
The UBEC chairman and members will serve an initial four-year term.
For the Bank of Agriculture, President Tinubu confirmed the appointments of Muhammad Babangida as chairman and Ayo Sotinrin as managing director, in line with earlier announcements aimed at repositioning the institution for rural credit expansion and agricultural financing.
The President also approved the appointment of three executive directors: Fatima Garba (Corporate Services), Ka’amuna Ibrahim Khadi (Risk Management and Strategy), and Hakeem Oluwatosin Salami (Operations).
Five non-executive directors were named to represent Nigeria’s geopolitical zones: Aminu Malami Mohammed (North-East), Charles Amuchienwa (South-East), Oladejo Odunuga (South-West), Rabiu Idris Funtua (North-West), and Kochi Donald Iorgyer (North-Central).
At the National Agricultural Development Fund, conceived to expand access to affordable capital for farmers and agripreneurs, President Tinubu appointed Mallam Bello Maccido, pioneer chairman of FBNQuest Merchant Bank Limited and a veteran of over 30 years in the financial services sector, as board chairman. Maccido represents the North-West.
Other members of the NADF board include financial consultant and banker Dr. Nelson Henry Essien (South-South), chartered accountant Amina Ahmed Habib (North-West), engineer and entrepreneur Akinyinka Olufela Akinnola (South-West), investment executive Hassan Tanimu Musa Usman (North-East), Lufer Samson Orkar (North-Central), and Felix Achibiri, an energy-sector leader representing the South-East.
The NADF board will work alongside the Fund’s Executive Secretary and CEO, Muhammad Abu Ibrahim, who was appointed in October 2023 to drive the agency’s mandate of supporting agricultural productivity and food security.
