A group known as Youth Transparency Initiative (YTI), has asked President Bola Tinubu to withdraw the appointment of Mohammed Abu Ibrahim as the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF).
The new agency was established in May 2023.
Ibrahim’s appointment was announced in a statement on Thursday by Ajuri Ngelali, Presidential spokesperson.
However, in a statement on Sunday in Kaduna, the YTI alleged that Ibrahim’s appointment is illegal as it violates the provisions of the Act establishing the agency.
The statement signed Kobo Umar, chairman of the group, also alleged that the new chief executive of the NADF lacks the requisite experience, exposure and administrative competence to head an agency that is still at infancy stage.
Umar said, although the President has the prerogatives to appoint anybody to any position, such appointments must follow due process.
“President Bola Tinubu recently approved the appointment of Mohammed Abu Ibrahim as the new Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF)”, the statement reads.
“We have no problem with whoever is appointed by the President, so long as the law guiding such appointments are adhered to and so long as the person so appointed is considered competent enough.
“It is in this regard that we wish to observe that, the appointment of Mohammed Abu Ibrahim as the chief executive of the NADF is illegal as it was made without regard to the provision of the law”.
The group called on Tinubu to “immediately withdraw the appointment”.
It noted that, “Part iii, 10 (2) of the Act establishing the NADF states clearly the requisite qualification and experience required for a person to be appointed its chief executive.
“The Act provides that, the Executive Secretary shall possess cognate experience in any of the following disciplines: (a) agricultural finance ; (b) economics ; or (c) agricultural policy formulation and implementation. Mohammed does not satisfy this provision of the law.”
The statement alleged that “The appointee lacks adequate experience to give appropriate direction to this agency which is still at its infancy stage, having been established in May 2023.”
It said further that, “Mohammed has not had sufficient exposure to politics and general administration and does not possess enough cognate experience as far as agriculture finance, economics, or agricultural policy and implementation are concerned.
“We therefore consider his appointment as deficient and should not be allowed to stand.
“The NADF needs a chief executive who is versed in the agricultural sector and agricultural financing, somebody with exposure and administrative competence to nurture it to maturity to enable it carry out its mandates efficiently.”
