Thirteen federal government agency heads win top honours in The Street Journal’s maiden FG agency leadership awards

Thirteen chief executives of federal government agencies have been recognised as winners in the inaugural ‘Super Federal Agency Head of the Year’ online poll organised by Ireland-based newspaper, The Street Journal.

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The awards celebrate outstanding leadership, innovation, and performance across Nigeria’s public sector.

Among the winners are Aisha Rimi, Managing Director/CEO of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC); Engineer Gbenga Komolafe, CEO of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC); and Usman Bamanga Jada, Managing Director/CEO of the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority (OGFZA).

Other notable recipients include Akintunde Sawyer (MD/CEO, Nigeria Education Loan Fund), Engineer Abisoye Coker (Director-General, National Identity Management Commission), Olanipekun Olukoyede (Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission), Patience Oniha (Director-General, Debt Management Office), and Adebowale Adedokun (Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement).

Farouk Ahmed (CEO, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority), Gbenga Alade (MD/CEO, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria), Ishaq Hussaini Magaji (Registrar-General/CEO, Corporate Affairs Commission), Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd, Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency), and Dr Olufemi Ogunyemi (MD, Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority) were also honoured.

Publisher of The Street Journal and National Chairman of the Association of Online Media Practitioners in Nigeria, Mogaji Wole Arisekola, said the winners were selected based on votes from over 50 federal agency heads featured in the online poll.

He described the initiative as a platform to promote excellence and national development in public service.

Aisha Rimi was recognised as The Most Outstanding CEO of a Federal Government Agency for her leadership in repositioning NIPC, while Gbenga Komolafe won The Best Performing and Results-Driven CEO award for enhancing transparency and efficiency in the oil and gas sector.

Usman Bamanga Jada was named The Best Results-Driven CEO for his work at OGFZA, and Akintunde Sawyer won The Best Performing CEO award for strengthening NELFUND.

Engineer Abisoye Coker received The Most Data-Driven and Operationally Effective CEO award for advancing Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem.

Olanipekun Olukoyede was honoured as The Most Consistent and Accountability-Focused Executive Chairman for reforms at the EFCC, and Patience Oniha earned The Most Strategic Director-General award for her work at the DMO.

Other winners include Adebowale Adedokun (Most Proactive Director-General, BPP), Farouk Ahmed (Most Operationally Effective CEO, NMDPRA), Gbenga Alade (Most Result-Oriented CEO, AMCON), Ishaq Hussaini Magaji (Most Service-Centred Registrar-General/CEO, CAC), Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa (Best Performing Chairman, NDLEA), and Dr Olufemi Ogunyemi (Most Impact-Oriented MD, NEPZA).

The award recipients will be formally honoured at a televised ceremony on January 31, 2026, at 7:00 pm at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

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The event will also recognise five cabinet ministers who previously won accolades in a separate online poll, including Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Morufu Olatunji Alausa, Ambassador Yusuff Tuggar, Abubakar Kyari, and Dr Jumoke Oduwole.