Some members of staff of the Nigeria Agriculture Quarantine Service, NAQS and civil society organisations, CSOs have raised concerns over the re-appointment of Vincent Isegbe as Comptroller-General of the agency.
The staff who organised a peaceful protest against the reappointment made a firm demand of a reversal of the appointment in the interest of the agency and national development.
In 2015, former President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Vincent Isegbe as the Coordinating Director of NAQS and five years later he was reappointed as Comptroller-General of the agency by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Just few days ago, President Bola Tinubu reappointed him again, making it his third tenure in office, a decision some staff members say is unacceptable considering no significant achievement was recorded throughout his past years in office.
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They demanded prudent audit of the activities of NAQS under his leadership including confiscating of donkey skins under the guise of enforcing the Federal Government’s directive on preserving donkeys, only to sell them at international market platform.
The angry protesters called for immediate reversal of the appointment, emphasising that a petition has been raised against the reappointed NAQS Comptroller-General demanding that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC conducts an investigation to expose the alleged corruption within the agency.
Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview with AIT.live, the reappointed NAQS Comptroller-General, Vincent Isegbe says the protest and allegations against him are sponsored by those who were opposed to his continuation in office. He says as pioneer head of the agency he has done everything to lay a solid foundation on which the country can build its Agriculture exports. This he says includes the recruitment, welfare and sponsorship of workers on professional training both within and outside the country
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
