In the past three years, some agencies have delivered worthy results in the administration, argues PAUL K. ADEGBOYEGA
As President Bola Tinubu’s administration enters its fourth year, enough evidence has emerged to permit a more objective assessment of those entrusted with running key federal agencies. Such an exercise should rise above politics, publicity and social media popularity. The more important question is whether public institutions are performing better than they did before.
A balanced assessment should rest on a handful of measurable criteria. Has an agency delivered on its statutory mandate? Are there verifiable outcomes in revenue, service delivery, investment, operational efficiency or public access? Has the leadership introduced meaningful reforms and innovation? Have citizens, businesses or investors benefited? Finally, has the agency earned the confidence of informed stakeholders—industry practitioners, development partners, professional bodies and independent observers whose endorsement reflects experience rather than politics?
Using these metrics, a number of agency heads have quietly distinguished themselves over the past three years. Their achievements vary by sector, but together they illustrate that institutional leadership still matters in public service.
Among the administration’s quiet achievers is Olasupo Olusi, Managing Director of the Bank of Industry (BOI). While national attention has largely focused on macroeconomic reforms, the country’s premier development finance institution has steadily expanded its support for productive sectors. Under Olusi, the Bank has increased loan disbursements to about ₦1.3 trillion, helping to catalyse enterprise growth across manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, the creative economy and other strategic sectors. The Bank’s assets have grown to approximately ₦7 trillion, while it has mobilised almost €2 billion in international funding from development finance institutions.
Perhaps the clearest indication of BOI’s growing developmental impact is contained in its recently launched Annual Impact Report—the first of its kind by a Nigerian Development Finance Institution. The report shows that the Bank supported the creation of approximately 1.6 million jobs in 2025 alone, while contributing an estimated two per cent of Nigeria’s manufacturing GDP through its financing activities. These outcomes reinforce BOI’s central role in supporting industrialisation, enterprise development and inclusive economic growth.
Equally important, BOI has strengthened governance standards and secured international certifications that have enhanced investor confidence. These are not achievements that generate daily headlines, but they reflect disciplined institutional management. The Bank’s growing credibility among international lenders, development partners and Nigerian businesses is perhaps the strongest endorsement of its leadership.
Another quiet but significant performer is Dr Kelechi Ohiri, Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA). Healthcare financing remains one of Nigeria’s most difficult policy challenges, yet the NHIA has undergone one of its most active reform periods in recent years. Health insurance enrolment has risen to about 22 million Nigerians, while all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory now have functional State Social Health Insurance Agencies, creating a nationwide institutional framework for expanding health coverage. The Authority also secured the first major upward review of provider payments in over a decade, with capitation increasing by more than 90 per cent and fee-for-service tariffs rising substantially to improve healthcare quality and provider sustainability. Digital claims management and grievance redress have also been strengthened, alongside programmes targeting vulnerable populations. Funding constraints and infrastructure gaps remain formidable, but few healthcare stakeholders dispute that NHIA has become considerably more responsive, reform-oriented and effective.
The Authority has also begun using health insurance more strategically to tackle high-burden diseases that impose catastrophic costs on families. New benefit packages, including expanded financial protection for cancer care, alongside efforts to integrate tuberculosis, HIV and other priority disease programmes into health insurance, signal a gradual shift from simply enrolling beneficiaries to improving health outcomes. NHIA has equally expanded access through digital enrolment platforms, stronger collaboration with state health insurance agencies, HMOs and accredited healthcare providers, and more flexible registration channels, making health insurance easier to access for millions of Nigerians.
At the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Dr Abisoye Coker-Odusote has accelerated one of Nigeria’s most important governance reforms. National Identification Number enrolment has now surpassed 120 million, while integration of identity verification across banking, telecommunications, immigration and other public services has expanded significantly. Faster authentication processes and improved digital identity infrastructure are strengthening financial inclusion, national security and public service delivery. The Commission’s growing importance was further underscored by recent legislative reforms that modernised Nigeria’s legal framework for digital identity. For an institution that once symbolised administrative delays, the transformation has been remarkable.
Steady institutional leadership has also characterised the Nigerian Communications Commission under Dr Aminu Maida. Telecommunications remains one of Nigeria’s largest investment destinations, accounting for trillions of naira in cumulative capital investment. Maintaining investor confidence during a period of economic volatility has therefore been no small task. Under Maida, the Commission has prioritised regulatory certainty, broadband expansion, consumer protection and spectrum management while supporting implementation of the Federal Government’s digital economy agenda. Network quality and infrastructure vandalism continue to pose challenges, but operators and investors have generally acknowledged the Commission’s predictable and consultative regulatory approach.
The same measured style defines Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi’s leadership of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). Over the past three years, NITDA has emerged as one of the principal drivers of Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda. The agency has expanded digital skills programmes that have reached hundreds of thousands of Nigerians through direct and partner-led initiatives, developed the country’s emerging artificial intelligence governance framework, supported startups and promoted digital adoption across government institutions. Increasing collaboration with universities, technology firms and international partners has further strengthened Nigeria’s position within Africa’s rapidly evolving digital economy.
Several other agency heads also deserve recognition.
At the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi has overseen record revenue collections while pursuing customs modernisation, trade facilitation and stronger stakeholder engagement. His election as Chairperson of the World Customs Organization Council represents an important vote of confidence in both his leadership and Nigeria’s customs administration.
At the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji has driven improvements in tax administration, digitalisation and revenue mobilisation, making the agency central to the Federal Government’s fiscal reform agenda.
None of these agencies operates under ideal conditions. Most continue to contend with fiscal constraints, inflation, infrastructure deficits, foreign exchange volatility and rising public expectations. Some still face legitimate criticism over implementation gaps or service delays. Recognising strong institutional performance does not suggest that these challenges have disappeared.
It does, however, acknowledge an important distinction. Effective public administration is seldom dramatic. It is measured in stronger institutions, improved systems, better governance and outcomes that can be independently verified. Just as importantly, it is validated by informed stakeholders. When development finance institutions repeatedly choose to partner with the Bank of Industry, when healthcare providers acknowledge overdue reforms at NHIA, when telecommunications operators commend regulatory stability at the NCC, or when technology companies increasingly collaborate with NITDA, such endorsements reinforce—not replace—the evidence of measurable performance.
Adegboyega is a public policy analyst