Civil Society Group Petitions Tinubu, ICPC, Over Alleged Illegal Tenure Elongation Of Quarantine Service DG Isegbe

A civil Society group under the aegis of Mission for Peace and Development Initiative(MPDI) has petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission(ICPC), the National Assembly and the Department of State Service (DSS) to immediately suspend, probe and direct the investigation of the Director General/ Comptroller General of the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), Dr Vincent Isegbe for allegedly manipulating the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service(NAQS) Establishment Passed Executive Bill 2013 and Doctoring/Forgery of NAQS Establishment Act 2017 as part of efforts to elongate his tenure.

The petitions which were sighted by our reporter for both the ICPC and the National Assembly were dated April 8, 2026 and April 16, 2026 respectively and signed by the Director of Programmes of the group, Mr Joshua Agbaji.

Dr. Vincent Ikape Isegbe is alleged to have doctored the NAQS establishment Act 2018 at three (3) different times for the purpose  of  tenure elongation which will span for 14 years.

The NAQS boss is also alleged to have succeeded in doctoring and forging of the NAQS Establishment Act 2018, especially the pages that concern the appointment of the Director General.

According to the group, Dr Isegbe used the manipulated Act to coerce, confuse and deceive the Minister of Agriculture and food security, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chief of staff to Mr. president (COS) so as to be recommended for the re- appointment to Mr. President for Approval, which he eventually succeeded.

Dr. Vincent Ikape Isegbe came to the helm of affairs in the agency as the Coordinating Director, with full financial autonomy since 2014 and still remains till date  as the Director General /Comptroller General of NAQS even after retirement  from civil service at the age of sixty (60) years in 2021, since he was born on the 26th March, 1961 but was appointed  as the DG in 2018.

According to the group, the development was the beginning of the 1st manipulation of the NAQS Act. 2018, from five (5) years single term only according to the executive bill endorsed by the National Assembly (NASS) and without amendment by NASS added renewal for another five years.

The group noted that Dr Isegbe did this as if there were no other capable hands in the agency or outside the Service with Quarantine experience as indicated in the establishment Act 2018.

The group believes that the Bill was corruptly altered after passage by NASS whilst in transit to the president for assent or in circumstances

that look as if signatures of the Clerk of NASS and the President of the now displayed NAQS Act were forged.

It posited that the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (Establishment) Executive Bill, 2010 was first passed by the National Assembly in 2010 and forwarded to the President for assent. This was during the former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime.

It was then passed but not assented to due to lack of adequate time before exiting office.

The Executive Bill was drafted in line with Public Service Rules of the Federation, particularly, Chapter 2, Section 9, Regulation 020908 (i) & (ii)and Regulation 020909 of the Public Service Rules of the Federation,2021edition, which stipulates that the total tenure of the Director General of an MDA of Federal Republic Service or its equivalent by whatever nomenclature it is called shall not exceed the total renewable period of eight (8) years in line with Public Service Rules of the Federation.

The bill clearly indicated in Part Ill 8(4) (a), “the Director General shall hold office for a term of Five (5) years only”.

This bill was forwarded to the National Assembly (NASS) in order to establish NAQS as an agency of Government after the three core units of the departments in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now Food Security) were harmonized. The units were:

a) Plant Quarantine Service of Department of Agriculture

b) Animal Quarantine Service of Federal Livestock Department/Pest Control Services and

c) Aquatic Resources Quarantine of Department of Fisheries

The bill was then represented by the harmonized agency (NAQS) to NASS of the 8th Assembly. It was passed again in 2013 and its passage for presidential assent was published in the National Assembly Journal No. 25 Vol. 10 25th December, 2013. It was forwarded for former President Muhammadu Buhari to assent.

During this time, the bill did not go through the rigours of passing a new bill; hence we believe that corruptly, Dr. Vincent lkape Isegbe (as he is the main beneficiary) and other unknown persons with intention to extend his tenure knowing that he was the most senior Director at that agency, altered the provisions of the executive bill after NASS had done its job before forwarding it to Mr. President for Assent.

They also noted that he carried out this ignominious gambit by cunning craftiness as he caused to be put in the public space via the agency’s website three different bills which confused the government, the staff of NAQS and the general public. These doctored purported bills were outside the Executive Bill which was passed by the National Assembly and signed by the Clerk as the originating bill and was publicized in the NASS Journal in 2013 and which was not amended before being sent to the president for assent or sent back by the President to NASS for any amendment.

According to them, the following were the documents displayed on the agency’s website since 2018 stating differently what the Executive bill was passed by the National Assembly especially on the issue of the tenure of the Director General.

“We noted that the provisions kept being changed to suit the tenure elongation gambit of Dr. Isegbe”.

These were on the public space from 2018 till April, 2025.

1. Bill as NAQS Act 2017, This one was without the signature without the signature pages of the Clerk of NASS and the President and there was no certification page from the Clerk of NASS.

“It is clear that Dr. Isegbe was plotting how to manipulate the law at this stage.

This particular doctored version stated differently what the passed Executive Bill read regarding the appointment and tenure of the Director General of the agency”.

2. Another Bill as NAQS 2018 was made to be put in the public space. This one was without the endorsement of the Clerk or Presidential Assent and was no certification page of the Clerk of NASS making the so called Act illegal in the first place but was placed on NAQS website since 2018. This particular version also stated differently what the passed Executive Bill read regarding the appointment and tenure of the Director General of the agency. This bill which purportedly was assented to become NAQS establishment Act 2018. We noted also that other Bills signed into law in 2018 by the president read Act 2017. We noted also that it mysteriously now had the provision of Part Ill- 10 (4)(a) changed to now read that, “the Director General shall hold office for a term of five (5) years which may be renewed for another term of five (5) years. Also, section 10 (1), (2) and (5) viz:

(1) The President shall appoint for the service a Director General on the recommendation of the Minister.

(2) The Director General shall be a person with cognate and professional experience in the agricultural quarantine activities and shall be a high-ranking officer in the service. (Underlined- “Shall be a high-ranking officer in the Service” for emphasis). (also, for further emphasis in the service) and not a retiree, on the recommendation of the Minister.

3. Another Bill was again displayed again as NAQS Act 2017 in the public space in April 2025 in the NAQS website. We believe that this was forged.

The purported signatures of the Clerk of NASS and the President look suspicious to us. Especially as compared to that of the Agencies that were signed on the same date.

“We also note that the font type of the purported Act was different from that of the Bills brought by the National Assembly for Presidential assent on the same date. This final one now displayed on the agency’s website is now different from 1 and 2 above where the officer to be Director General should be ‘in service’.

“That was now removed to deceive the public and to achieve the illegal tenure elongation gambit by Dr. Isegbe.

“For clarification purposes the signatures of the Clerk of NASS forwarded to Mr. President and that of President Muhammadu Buhari on the assent pages of other agencies that were endorsed into law on the same date as compared to that of the so called NAQS Act would surprise anyone.

“Note also that the font type/prints from NASS is quite different from the purported NAQS Act 2017.

We believe that the law is unambiguous that, under the Public Service Rules and the law establishing the agency, a public servant has either thirty-five (35) years to spend in service or he retires upon attainment of sixty (60) years of age, whichever comes first. Consequently, in satisfaction of the Rules, Dr. Vincent lkape lsegbe, who was born on 26th March 1961 (according to information on continued to occupy the NAQS Director General office till 18th day of December, 2023 and fraudulently backed dated the handing over note to 15th day of December, 2023 while in fact he was supposed to bow out after the completion of his term as Director General on 13th of December 2023. He was supposed to hand over on the 13th day of December, 2023 to necessitate the appointment of the most senior ranking officer in the service who was so appointed by the Minister in line with the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service Establishment Act (hereinafter described as “the Act”), to head the agency as DG in acting capacity.

Surprisingly sometime in March 2024, barely three months after Dr.Vincent Ikape lsegbe handed over to the highest-ranking officer in the service of the office of the NAQS as directed by the Minister and in line with Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service Establishment Act, 2018, Dr. Vincent lkape Isegbe reappeared in the office of NAQS with a letter dated 6th day of March,2024 from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on behalf of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that the Dr.Vincent Ikape lsegbe had been reappointed as the Director General of the NAQS for another five years effective from 13th December,2023 to take benefit of the fundamental errors in the NAQS establishment Act 2018 of whose bill he corruptly manipulated and altered to suite his fraudulent agenda of his tenure elongation, despite protests from concerned staff of the agency to the Honourable Minister of Agriculture.

“From the foregoing, it is clear that the re-appointment of Dr. Vincent lkape lsegbe is absolutely illegal, fraudulent, unsupported by law and therefore null and void and ought to be reversed immediately.

The period of ten (10) years smuggled into the NAQS establishment Act 2018 is a gross violation of the Public Service rule, and it is not permissible in the1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended”.

In the Public/Civil Service rules, it is clearly stated under Chapter 2, Section 9,Regulation 020908 (i) & (ii) and Regulation 020909 of the Public Service of the Federation, 2021 edition as stated above. In this case, not even the President nor the Permanent Secretary stays beyond eight (8) years.

Therefore, the renewal of Dr. Vincent Ikape Isegbe’s tenure becomes an eyesore,

dubious and riddled in corruption which calls for immediate investigation by your commission. This anomaly will allow him occupy the position for fourteen (14) years at the helm of affairs in NAQS. It is worthy of note that, he spent four years as the Coordinating Director with full financial autonomy with consolidated salary structure before his appointment as Director General. Following the expiration of total of more than nine (9) years, viz: as Director-General of the agency, where he served a five (5) tenure, despite retiring from the civil service on the 26th day of March, 2021.

The main beneficiary of the deliberate rigmarole of throwing up different doctored purported executive bills or Acts for one agency is Dr. Isegbe and we believe he has a lot to explain regarding the deliberate confusion on the matter and to suddenly caused to be publicized a suspicious ‘Act’ purportedly signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari which no longer shows ‘in service’ as basis in the appointment as head of the agency.

There have also been protests and petitions by concerned and patriotic staff on this matter.

As it stands, NAQS has no genuine and acceptable establishment act, with the so called NAQS Establishment Act has been so manipulated and doctored by Dr.Vincent Ikape Isegbe and his cohort, Barr Jeremiah Omoriogbe. Especially, on the clause that has to do with the appointment and tenure of the Director General of the agency. For such reason, we wish to inform you that NASS, the Attorney General

of the Federation, the DSS, the Police, and the Ministry of Agriculture shall also therefore be copied to investigate and prosecute the issues to enable NAQS to have a straightened and acceptable law in the public interest.

Dr. Vincent Ikape lsegbe’s Deceit and Illegal Reappointment (How can a Government Agency be Headed by One Person for 14 Years?) as he was a Coordinating Director of the agency for four years before being made a Director General for another five years. He was appointed

Director General in 2018 being the most senior director. He completed his tenure on 13th December, 2023. Consequently, he was directed by the Honourable Minister of Agriculture in absence of the NAQS Governing Board as required by law to hand over to the highest ranking officer of NAQS. He handed over to DCG (Dr.) Audu Godwin Sunday on 15th December, 2023 which according to the Honourable Minister was in accordance with the NAQS Establishment Act 2018.

Based on the law, Dr. Vincent Ikape lsegbe was no longer qualified to be reappointed having completed his five year tenure. Again, based on years of being a substantive Director disqualified him following Public Service Rules section 9, Regulations 020908 1 and 2 020909. He retired at 60 years and has served more than 9 years where only a maximum of eight (8) years is permissible for any public servant including the president and his ministers.

But Dr. Vincent Ikape lsegbe manipulated people and circumstances especially as it seems in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to get him reappointed in a very curious way. There were even media reports that he allegedly spent huge sums of money to bribe his way to be returned back to the office.

“If he was a law abiding citizen, he would have graciously asked to be recused from the appointment on the basis of what the law and propriety says. But he did not because we believe he was the one manipulating everything and everybody to the detriment of the public interest.

Contrary to all known law and regulations, he reappeared with a letter dated 6th March, 2024, from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation saying he had been reappointed for another five year term effective you won’t believe it from 13th December, 2023 when he handed over to take benefit of the manipulations he and his cohorts had doctored in the Act establishing the agency whose already passed executive bill was in our view corruptly and criminally manipulated and altered to suit the fraudulent and illegal tenure elongation agenda of Dr. Isegbe”.

As things stand, in the public interest the reappointment and continued stay in office for a single day henceforth is utterly illegal, fraudulent, null and void and it is our strong appeal that lCPC, Presidency and other relevant security agencies should take action to correct this illegality and deception of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the

Federation by Dr. Isegbe. The person to be appointed as DG by law must be in the

service and it is not a political appointment.

The group posited that that if it must be political then the recommendation ought not to come from honourable Minister to Mr President but directly from the SGF to the President. Therefore any recommendation emanating from the minister to the SGF must be within the Service making it non political.

Efforts at reaching the Public Relations head through phone calls and text messages were not returned as at the time of going to press.