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Tag: Mohammed Bago

  • Niger Gov directs closure of all schools until after New Year

    Niger Gov directs closure of all schools until after New Year

    Niger Governor Mohammed Bago has directed that all schools across the State should be shut down until after the New Year while the schools in security affected areas in the State will be shut down until further notice.

    The Governor stated this while fielding questions from newsmen in Minna after a security and stakeholders meeting in Government House over the current security situation in the state.

    According to the Governor, they include private and public schools, Islamic and missionary schools, federal government colleges and some tertiary institutions like schools of nursing and midwifery. 

    The Governor stated the schools will be shut down until after the New Year while those in security affected areas will be shut down until further notice.

    Speaking about the abduction, Bago said it was an incident that could have been avoided but the government would not use its time for blame games but to look at ways of rescuing the abducted children.

    “To forestall further occurence, schools are generally supposed to close for Christmas in the next two weeks, but we cannot take any chances anymore. 

    “We are closing all schools in Niger state, private primary and secondary schools, every school will remain closed until after the New Year while all schools in Niger North will be closed until further notice,” he stated. 

    The Governor said that the figures of the students, pupils and teachers abducted are not yet official, 

    “We have just been seeing a lot of numbers in the media but the figures are not official. The DSS, police and other security agencies are already doing the head count and by the end of today, we will have the official figure,” he stated. 

    He called on the security not to be distracted but to be focused on the rescue of these children, “Nigeria is the only country we have and Niger state is our state, we will continue to protect the lives and property of our citizens.c

  • Bago’s fantastic target

    Bago’s fantastic target

    Sensationally, Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago made the headlines after announcing that the state would in November not only begin paying a minimum wage of N80,000 to its workers, which is N10,000 more than the stipulated new national minimum wage, but also aim to “eventually achieve a minimum wage of one million naira.” 

    According to him, “The N80,000 approved is sustainable, and with our progress in agriculture, we are confident we can increase it further in the future.” He added: “We are establishing civil service farms so that our workforce can be more productive. With this approach, we could eventually achieve a minimum wage of one million naira, but for now, we are starting with N80,000.”

    Was the governor serious? Did he expect the public to take him and his words seriously? President Bola Tinubu signed the N70,000 minimum wage bill into law in July, after months of intense negotiations with labour leaders who had demanded a much higher minimum wage. Indeed, the labour unions had initially demanded over N600, 000 monthly, arguing that the country’s cost-of-living crisis warranted such a high figure, compared with the old N30,000 minimum wage.  

    Notably, the chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Niger State, Abdulkarim Idris Lafene, observed that the N80,000 minimum wage which would be paid by the state government “is not fully aligned with the current economy, considering the high cost of goods and living expenses.” However, he added, “We are hopeful that the minimum wage will eventually reach one million naira, as the governor has indicated.” Unbelievable!

    Read Also: I almost committed suicide over fake news – Eniola Ajao

    Reports say 21 states are set to begin implementing the new national wage law, with some of them ready to pay their workers slightly above the stipulated N70,000 minimum wage. The states are: Lagos, Rivers, Bayelsa, Niger, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Jigawa, Gombe, Ogun, Kebbi, Ondo, Kogi, Ebonyi, Delta, Edo, Borno, Kwara, and Kano.  

    Fourteen states adjusted the fixed minimum wage upward, possibly to give the impression that their governments are worker-friendly.  They include Lagos and Rivers (N85,000); Bayelsa, Niger, Enugu, and Akwa Ibom (N80,000).  Others are: Delta and Ogun (N77,000), Ebonyi and Kebbi (N75,000), Ondo (N73,000), Kogi (N72,000), Gombe and Kano (N71,000).

    Governor Bago of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is 50 and became governor in 2023. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2023.  He may be dreaming of a second term which would take him to 2031. So, he may have time to reach the point of possibly paying one million naira as minimum wage in his state. But he sounded like a politician saying what he thinks the people want to hear.