Tag: Niger state Government

WHAT IS NEXT AFTER THE EIGHT-DAY RETREAT IN NIGER STATE?

Emporium Reporters

After eight days of intense learning, reflection, and reorientation inside the Hauwa Isah Wali Hall, government house, Minna, one question now sits at the centre of Niger State’s public service conversation is; What comes next? It is true that the capacity-building retreat for commissioners-designate, special advisers, permanent secretaries, and local government chairmen-elect may have ended, but what it set in motion is only beginning. The New Niger Vision of Governor Umaru Bago’s blueprint for a modern, accountable and development-driven state, now expects its executors to translate knowledge into action. During…

Niger Govt issues final ultimatum to scrap metal operators

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Niger State Government has issued a final ultimatum to all scrap metal dealers and scavengers operating within the state to complete their registration before 15th November, 2025. A statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Abubakar Usman, stated that the exercise, which began on 22nd December, 2024, has been ongoing for nearly a year to ensure effective regulation and monitoring of scrap metal activities across the state. Despite repeated appeals and extensions, the government observed that many operators have yet to comply with the directive.…

Niger State reduces Bed fees at Suleja General Hospital, warns staff against extortion

Emporium Reporters

The Niger State Hospital Management Board has announced a downward review of hospital bed charges at General Hospital Suleja as part of efforts to ease the financial burden on patients. In a circular titled “Reduction of Bed Fees” and dated August 11, 2025, the hospital authority directed all staff to strictly adhere to the new charges while warning against extortion. Under the new policy, general ward fees have been reduced to N2,000 for 10 days, replacing the previous N500 daily rate. Similarly, amenity ward fees are now N1,000 per day,…

Ahmed Ketso: A Study in Political Resilience Amid New Tensions in Niger State, By Yunusa Abugi.

Emporium Reporters

As tensions simmer between Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago and his deputy, Comrade Yakubu Garba, political observers are once again reminded of a name that defied the odds of deputy governance — Ahmed Mohamed Ketso.   Ketso, who served as Deputy Governor from 2015 to 2023, quietly left office without controversy, a feat rare among second-in-command politicians, particularly in Nigeria’s turbulent political landscape. In an era where deputy governors often fade into irrelevance, Ketso’s tenure offers important lessons for the current administration, and perhaps, a timely reflection amid growing…

NAPTIP rescues 21 Minors from Trafficking, hands over to Niger State Government

Emporium Reporters

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has successfully rescued 21 minors, aged between nine and 16, from suspected traffickers and handed them over to the Niger State government. The children were intercepted by Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) officers at the Geidam border post in Yobe State on February 2, 2025, as they were being transported to an Islamic school in the Niger Republic. During the handover in Abuja, NAPTIP’s Director-General, Binta Adamu-Bello, raised concerns over the practice, highlighted the presence of numerous Islamic schools within…

Gov Bago backs NAPTIP’s fight against Human Trafficking, Violence ….. Pledges support for Niger State Command Take-Off

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has called on state governments to collaborate with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to address human trafficking and violence against persons.   Governor Bago made this call during a meeting with NAPTIP’s Director General, Binta Adamu Bello, OON, at the Niger State Liaison Office in Abuja. The visit was part of the agency’s engagement with critical stakeholders to strengthen its operations.   The Governor stressed the urgency of addressing these issues, particularly in Northern Nigeria, where…

Gov Bago woos Diaspora Investors to Niger State

Lukman Laleye Babalola

As part of the sidelines events of the just concluded Canada-Nigeria Business Summit, the Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has called on Diaspora Investors particularly Nigerians and their Partners in Canada to come to Niger State to cause an Agricultural Revolution. Governor Bago informed the Diaspora Business Community in Toronto, Canada, that, Niger State is not only ready for the establishment of Livestock Markets but has also signed Four Component Agreements with the Brazilian Government in Sugar Plantation Agriculture. He also added that he had set aside of a…

BREAKING: Gov Umaru Bago approves N80,000 as minimum wage for Niger workers

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Niger state Governor, Umaru Bago has approved N80,000 as minimum wage for civil servants in the state. The farmer Governor disclosed this shortly after meeting with the Organised Labour in the State at Government House, Minna. He assured that the payment would be for both the State and the Local government Civil Servants, effective from November, 2024, added that the Committee on the Minimum Wage will work on the consequential adjustments. The farmer Governor further assured that the N80,000 is sustainable, especially with the State’s strides in Agriculture. He…

My administration invested N20b in Roads,Power,Spent N2b to clear NECO,WAEC, Electricity bills in 6months – Gov Bago says …… Bags Governor of the Year Award

Emporium Reporters

The administration of Governor Mohammed Bago of Niger State said it had in the last six months invested N20 billion in upgrading some rural roads and providing solar electrification to some far situated villages in the state.   The administration equally spent over N2 billion on clearing backlog of debt owed the National Examination Council (NECO) and West African Examination Council (WAEC) for registration of indigent students as electricity bill by the previous administration.   Gov Bago disclosed this at the End of The Year Party of the Nigerian Union…

Boat Mishap claims 10 lives in Niger

Emporium Reporters

A total of 10 persons have allegedly died in a boat mishap in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State. The deceased included Farida Muntari, Sharhabila Sagir, Abubakar Sadiq, Na’ima Ibrahim, Amina, Safaratu Ibrahim, Sadiq Ibrahim, and Rafiya Yakubu, as well as two unidentified victims. The tragedy reportedly occurred on Thursday between 1:30 pm and 2 pm due to strong waves and water hyacinth. The boat capsized while conveying 34 passengers from Zangoro Bassa-Kukoki Ward terminal to Gijiwa-Kato Ward terminal in Shiroro LG. The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA)…