Full List of Government Agencies in Nigeria & Functions

There are many government agencies which are responsible for certain area of administration in Nigeria. These agencies works with the federal government to ensure smooth running in all sectors. In Nigeria, there are vast numbers of government agencies, both federal owned and state agencies. These agencies oversees on the affairs of a particular sector. This article will list the government agencies that are in the country.

By definition, an agency is a government organization responsible for a certain area of administration. Government Agencies in relation, are special government organizations set up for a specific purpose of management of resources or national security issues. The functions of these agencies are to regulate industries or practices that require close oversight or specialized expertise. For these reasons, government agencies are applicable in almost all disciplines and fields: from banking, industry, security, food & drugs, and other critical areas.

List of Government Agencies in Nigeria and Their Functions

The following is the rundown of the notable government agencies in Nigeria and their respective primary functions;

Agriculture

• Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN): This is a government agency in Oyo State, Nigeria. The research institute was established by the Federal Government of Nigeria to promote and improve the productivity of cocoa and its product in Nigeria and and outside the country’s border.
• Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research: This is an agricultural agency that was established to go on research on the improvement of the oil palm agricultural sector in the country.
• National Root Crops Research Institute: The NRCRI was established in Umudike on 1st December, 1923. The aim of the agency is to provide the necessary environment for the production, processing and marketing of value-added products of root and tuber crops towards National food security, income generation, gainful employment and rapid industrial development.

Aviation

• Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN): On aviation, this federal government agency is a service organization that is charged with the functions of managing all Commercial Airports in Nigeria and provide service to both passenger and cargo airlines. FAAN agency has its headquater in on the grounds of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos State.
• The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA): This is a civil aviation authority in Nigeria that is charged with the responsibility of managing flights in the country.
• Nigerian Airspace Management Agency:  Popularly referred as NAMA, this federal agency is greatly involved in Airspace Management in the country.
• Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT): The Nigerian College of Aviation Technology is a higher education institute in Zaria, Kaduna State. Also an agency, it is designed to be a training center for pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers, navigation aid technicians. The agency is funded by the Civil Aviation Department in the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Aviation.

Communication

• National Broadcasting Commission: NBC is a regulatory government agency that was set up on March 24, 1992 to regulate the broadcast media. The functions and responsibilities of this agency is to regulate and control the broadcasting industry in Nigeria.
• Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC): This is an independent regulatory authority for the telecom industry in the country. Established on 24 March 1992, the commission is charged with the responsibility of regulating the supply of telecommunications services and facilities, hence promoting competition, and setting performance standards for telephone services in the country.
• Nigerian Postal Service: Alternatively called NIPOST, it is a government-owned and operated corporation that is responsible for providing postal services in Nigeria.

Economy

• Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN): This is the Central bank in Nigeria that administers and regulate the circulation of money in the country. The agency commenced operations on March 1, 1959, and is headquartered in Abuja.
• Corporate Affairs Commission: This is a body responsible for the regulation and management of companies in Nigeria.
• Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS): This federal government agency has a function of assessing, collecting and accounting for tax and other revenues related to the country.
• Niger Delta Development Commission: Popularly called NDDC, this is a Federal government agency established in the year 2000 with the sole aim of developing the oil-rich Niger Delta region of the country.
• Standards Organisation of Nigeria: This is a regulatory agency that works in regulating producing companies to maintain standards and quality.

Education

• National Universities Commission (NUC): This is a federal agency and a government commission that regulate and promote quality higher education in Nigeria. It is headquartered in the capital city of Abuja.
• Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB): This is an independent government agency that conducts entrance Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination for prospective undergraduates into Nigerian universities.
• National Examinations Council: Widely referred to as NECO, it is an examination body that conducts the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination and the General Certificate in Education in the country.

Energy

• Department of Petroleum Resource (DPR): This is an agency under the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources. The responsibility of this department is to ensure compliance to petroleum laws, regulations and guidelines in the Oil and Gas Industry in Nigeria.
• Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC): This is an independent regulatory agency that has the functions of regulating the electric power industry in Nigeria. NERC was formed in 2005, and headquartered in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
• Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC): This is a petroleum sector government agency which regulates and participates in the country’s oil and gas industry.
• Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA): This is an agency established in 2003, to monitor and regulate the supply and distribution of petroleum products. The agency also determine the prices of petroleum products in Nigeria.

Health

• National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC): This is a federal agency under the Federal Ministry of Health. The functions of this agency is to regulate and control the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertisement, distribution, sale and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals and packaged water in the country.
• Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR): Headquatered in in Yaba, Lagos state, it is a medical research institute that aims to promote National health and developments, as well as research.
• National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA): This is also a Drug regulatory agency in the country.

Intelligence/Security

• State Security Service (SSS):  The Department of State Services (DSS), is an intelligence agency in Nigeria that deals on national security issues.
• Nigerian Police Force (NPF): This is a security agency whose main function is to maintain law and order in the country.
• National Intelligence Agency (NIA): This is a government agency that is tasked with overseeing foreign intelligence and counterintelligence operations.
• The Nigerian Armed Forces: which is responsible for all security issues in the country, both internally and externally.

Media

• Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON): This federal government agency regulates the broadcast media in the country.
• News Agency of Nigeria (NAN): This is a news reporting government agency that has functions to disseminate news easily across the country and to the international community
• Nigerian Television Authority: Alternatively called NTA, this is a government-owned and partly commercial broadcast firm in Nigeria.

Other Uncategorized Federal Government Agencies include;

• Code of Conduct Bureau
• Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
• Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)
• Independent National Electoral Commission
• National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP)
• National Human Rights Commission
• National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)
• National Institute for Hospitality Tourism (NIHOTOUR)
• National Lottery Regulatory Commission
• National Orientation Agency (NOA)
• National Poverty Eradication Programme
• National Sports CommissionNigeria Immigration Service (NIS)
• Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI)
• Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC)
• Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC)
• National Agency For Science and Engineering Infrastructure

Conclusion

That’s it on the rundown of government agencies in Nigeria. The list was vast and it incorporate the prominent federal government agencies in the country. We sequentially highlight the core functions of these agencies.