President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Dr. Vincent Isegbe as the pioneer Director General of the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS).
A statement signed by Dr. Chigozie P. Nwodo, Head of Media, Communications and Strategies on Tuesday in Abuja said the appointment takes effect from 13th December 2018 and is for an initial period of five (5) years.
Following the presidential assent to the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (Establishment) Bill, 2018 in January this year, NAQS became a full-fledged agency of government.
Dr. Vincent Isegbe was until this appointment, the Coordinating Director of the agency.
The DG is expected to “institutionalizing the administrative and management structures requisite for operationalizing the paramilitary status of the agency” the statement reads in part.
NAQS was established 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.
The statement said Dr. Isegebe 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 1990. Over the years, he has also undergone several training and courses within Nigeria and overseas.
He began his career as a veterinary officer in the Federal Department of Livestock, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 1989 and rose through the ranks to the position of Assistant Director before joining the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service as one of its pioneer staff in 2008.
