President Bola Tinubu’s July 18 shake‑up of federal agencies has ignited fresh controversy over patronage and the hollow pledge of “reformed governance.”
In a statement, Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga announced that Muhammad Babangida, 53‑year‑old scion of former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida, will chair the Bank of Agriculture—an institution plagued by non‑performing loans and only established in 2000 to consolidate three defunct microcredit bodies.
Agriculture accounts for roughly 22.35 percent of Nigeria’s GDP and employs more than 80 percent of its workforce, yet BOA’s coffers remain crippled by bad debts and underinvestment—only N183 billion was earmarked for agricultural R\&D in 2019, a fraction of the 10 percent Maputo target.
Installing a political heir apparent at its helm smacks of nepotism rather than reform.
“Muhammad Babangida will serve as chairman of the Bank of Agriculture, which has recently undergone institutional reforms,” Onanuga insists, yet critics argue the move undermines meritocracy and perpetuates elite capture.
Across Kaduna, Kano and Sokoto, Tinubu tapped allies—Lydia Musa for Oil and Gas Free Zones; Jamilu Aliyu for educational research; Prof. Alhaji Aliyu for continental cooperation—raising questions about geographic balancing versus genuine competence.
With agriculture’s share of GDP stagnant and food imports up 136 percent last year, Nigerians demand that agency heads deliver results, not merely collect salaries.
This latest roster risks perpetuating the very ills the President vowed to eradicate.
