Dr. Vincent Isegbe, Director General/Comptroller-General, NAQS
THE TOP10 MAGAZINE PUBLIC OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR
When you give an opportunity to someone with vision, passion and preparation, there is hardly a limit to what he can achieve. Dr. Vincent Isegbe is a good example. Former President Muhammadu Buhari gave him the opportunity to serve as the pioneer Director-General/Comptroller-Geberal of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS).
Isegbe was well prepared for the assignment, having trained as a veterinary doctor, worked for nearly a decade in the Federal Department of Livestock, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, where he rose to the position of Assistant Director before joining NAQS as a pioneer staff. He logged another decade of experience at NAQS before his appointment as its D-G/C-G in 2018.
He had a vision to build the institutional capacity of the Service to function at the level of excellence as one of the best national quarantine authorities in the world and to contribute to the redefinition of the agriculture sector as an engine of wealth creation through the optimization of Nigeria’s comparative advantage in key agro-commodities. Added to that, Dr. Isegbe has been passionate about expanding the frontiers of export market for Nigerian agricultural products. He is known for his commitment to the diversification of the economy.
These attributes formed the foundation for his soaring success at NAQS, the Federal Government agency established in 2018 to promote and regulate sanitary and phytosanitary measures with respect to the export and import of plants, veterinary and aquatic resources.
The mandate of the Service is to ensure the conformance of Nigerian agricultural products to international standards –particularly, the requirements of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and the International Office of Epizootics –and to stimulate international trade in Nigerian agricultural products.
For Dr Isegbe, there has been no looking back since his appointment as D-G/C-G, NAQS. He led the Service to implement several key projects that have contributed significantly towards improving both production and exportation of agricultural commodities in the last six years. For instance, the agency introduced Biopesticide and integrated pest management programmes, the review of Biopesticide laws and regulations and the training of stakeholders on proper usage of Biopesticides. He has developed the Export Certification Value Chain for 30 premium commodities that are highly priced at the international market.
Other innovations include the breeding/ranching programme for sustainable donkey hide export in which over 120 dealers on donkey ranching were trained; the process of development of animal disease-free areas and farms; the development and improvement of ornamental fish seedlings for export trade; analysis of Mycotoxins and heavy metals contaminants in animal products for export to enhance the confidence of trading partners and importing countries; and the BBTV control programme to support farmers in the control and management of Banana Bunchy Top Disease virus.
NAQS under Dr. Isegbe also embarked on awareness and sensitization campaign activities, including jingles in mainstream and new media, printing of posters/pamphlets in English, Pidgin and other local languages to further spread and enhance awareness and activities of the agency.
The agency embarked on Nationwide zero-reject advocacy to reduce the number of commodities being rejected at borders/states when exported; fruits and vegetable inspection and certification programme to enhance officers’ capacity for conformity assessment for export; establishment of SPS protocol for ECOWAS, EU, UK, US and Asian markets to enhance exportability of Nigerian agricultural commodities; awareness programme on the quarantine perspective of good agricultural practices; Army worm management and control programme in maize, sorghum, millet, etc; inspection, monitoring and certification of fish farms, facilities, water bodies, etc, to enhance the exportability of Nigerian aquatic products; and analysis of drug residues in animal products for export to enhance the confidence of trading partners and importing countries.
Projects executed in the area of construction, works and procurements include the architectural design of the proposed 4-storey NAQS Headquarters complex building, staff quarters, clinic, recreational facilities and demonstration farms.
The agency also equipped and renovated the Ibadan Training School conference hall with 100-seater state of-the-art auditorium and other facilities including the provision of 50KVA generators.
Other projects are the construction of two-storey laboratory building at Abuja and Lagos to facilitate the fulfillment of the agency’s mandate of inspection and certification; provision of Laboratory standards for Gas Chromatography at Ibadan Diagnostic Centre to enhance the research capabilities of the organization on methods to combat, control and prevent the spread of whitefly and other pests and disease incursions into Nigeria; office redesign and provision of sleek work stations and office equipment for efficient service delivery; and the construction of students hostels at the Ibadan Diagnostic Centre/Training School. These facilities were constructed to house officers of the quarantine service during training and other research functions.
Also executed were the construction of four units of one-bedroom building each at Idiroko, Calabar, Mfum and Imeko stations to provide office accommodation for quarantine operations at the various Control Posts; fencing of Illela, Lokoja, Maigatari, Makurdi and Idiroko Control Posts and construction of gate houses to further secure the assets of the agency; purchase of 24 Hilux vehicles and 10 Toyota Corolla vehicles for operational purposes at the zonal commands and headquarters; provision of equipment for linking NAQS with Nigeria Customs integrated information system to enhance trade facilitation activities and to support the ease of doing business programme of the government; provision of microchips for electronic identification of animals at ports and borders as well as the calibration instrumentation and training of officers.
Dr. Isegbe also equipped NAQS laboratory in Lagos and trained laboratory personnel in pursuit of ISO 17025 certification; developed and equipped Veterinary Quarantine stations at Illela and Makurdi to ensure effective and efficient sanitary inspection of animal and animal products at the inter-state control posts; and renovated Green/Screen houses in Ibadan Diagnostic Centre to meet the modern day demands of scientific accuracy and research precision.
The NAQS DG also embarked on massive staff development, involving the training of quarantine officers on AfCFTA and other export trade policy matters at the Trade Policy Training Centre in Africa (TRAPCA), Arusha, Tanzania; training of officers on laboratory management procedures in UK; and the training and retraining of officers on global SPS standards in Geneva.
He also ensured that IPPC/OIC/CODEX Meetings/Trade facilitation trainings were carried out to promote trade facilitation activities with trading partners and organizations; officers were involved in Cochran Fellowship training in the USA; NAQS officers were sent to the trade promotion programme for developing countries in Beijing China; and officers were sponsored for scholarship in postgraduate programme in University of Tsukuba, Japan and Kangwon National University South Korea.
Other activities of NAQS under Dr. Isegbe’s leadership are: the migration of staff from federal civil service commission to the NAOS paramilitary structure; engendering of the first NAQS promotion/Rank adjustment of 27 mid-level to senior officers; brokering of Phytosanitary protocol with the Chinese government for the establishment of sorghum farms for the export of sorghum to China; and the signing of a work plan with Mexico, sealing a deal for the export of millions of dollars’ worth of hibiscus export to Mexico and the Americas.
NAQS, under Dr. Isegbe’s leadership, hosted the World Congress of Regional Plant Protection Officers in Nigeria at Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja, in 2019. It was the first by a National Plant Protection Organization (NAQS) in Africa.
As the Chief Executive Officer of NAQS, Dr. Isegbe has been churning out policies and programmes that make the Service stand out in the comity of sister agencies and international counterparts. He surely knows how to dig out the hidden treasures in NAQS’ human and material resources in such a way that it remains the agency to beat. He introduced the Service’s Annual Summit and Management Retreat where issues aimed at seeking better ways for effective and efficient service delivery in the agricultural value chain are discussed. The fourth edition took place in 2023.
It is little wonder that NAQS has been carting home awards and receiving accolades from within and outside Nigeria. It won the “Most Innovative Government Agency” award, by BusinessDay Media Ltd, for several crop surveys, the conduct of Pest Risk Analysis, amongst others; won 2nd position award for Outstanding Contributions to Nigeria’s Agricultural sector by National Agriculture Foundation of Nigeria during the World Food Day 2019 Agric Show; won the PEBEC 2018 Award-Most Improved Agency, second position on Transparency and Efficiency; and was voted the Most Improved Agency in the 5TH PEBEC Award, April 2023.
Dr. Isegbe earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1985 and his Master’s degree at the University of Maiduguri in 1994. He also obtained an MBA in International Agribusiness and Food Chain Management from Lead City University in 2020 and has also undergone several trainings and courses within Nigeria and overseas. He is currently awaiting the final defence of his Ph.D. in International Agribusiness and Food Chain Management at Lead City University.
Upon joining NAQS, Dr. Isegbe became the Head of Collaboration, Planning and Partnership division and subsequently, the Head of Animal Quarantine Department; a position which he held until he attained the position of the Coordinating Director in 2015. During his term as Coordinating Director, Dr. Isegbe conceived and launched the Export Improvement Initiative, a backward integration intervention designed to increase the volume of export in customary Nigerian agricultural commodities and emerging commodities such as sesame, soya bean, cinnamon, pigeon pea, sugar cane, honey and snail. As part of the Initiative, Nigeria exported 1,983 containers of hibiscus (zobo) flower to Mexico within the first nine months of 2017 and earned US$35 million as a result. Dr. Isegbe’s agro export drive led to the presentation of the NAQS Establishment Bill and the eventual assent by President Buhari on the 26th of January, 2018.
Dr. Isegbe is a member of the Nigeria Veterinary Medical Association. He once served as the Sectary General of the Yobe State chapter of the association. Dr. Isegbe once sat on the Board of Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria, Benin City. He had previously served as a member of the Board of Nigeria Environmental Standard Regulatory Enforcement Agency (NESREA) between 2015 and 2016.
The Director General has attended over 60 seminars, workshops and courses within and outside Nigeria. He is a perceptive thinker and an accomplished author. He has published several critically acclaimed articles in newspapers and papers in scientific journals on animal health, food safety and quarantine issues. He has written two books illuminating the complex and perplexing matters of rape and retirement titled Rape: The Horror, The Pains, The Management and Planning for Retirement in a Developing Economy, awaiting publication.
Dr. Vincent Isegbe’s selection as the Public Official of the Year is in recognition of his transformative leadership as exemplified by his remarkable record of accomplishments as the Director-General/Comptroller-Geberal of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS).
