Scriptural revelations have indicated that when God wants to bless, or bring succor to a people, state or nation, he sent a benevolent servant to salvage them from penury, backwardness and stagnation. For decades, since its creation in 1976, Niger State in the North central Nigeria and its people have been desirous and craved for such a God-sent individual that will anchor a swift transformation to bring to fruition the yearnings and aspirations of the people.
It is not an accident of history but a ‘divine intervention’ that God has brought His servant, the Farmer Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago, as an instrument and vehicle of change, on a mission to transform and reposition Niger State. Thus, the Farmer Governor represents an appealing image of that divine servant, who is ready and boldly courageous in tackling, head-on, the intractable challenges that have remained impediments to our wheel of progress and development.
Umaru Mohammed Bago’s ascension to the pinnacle of political leadership in the state provided that unique opportunity. He ventured into political terrain, contested and became a 3-term Federal Legislator of the Green Chamber for Chanchaga Federal Constituency from 2011 to 2023 when he was elected and sworn-in as the state Governor, a significant turning point that confirmed his political footprints and enviable antecedents.
The Farmer Governor was born in Minna, Niger State on February 22nd , 1974, into a humble and devout muslim family of an accomplished businessman, late Alhaji Mohammed Mustapha (TECHNO), a member of the Maasaba Royal family of Bida and late Hadijat Mohammed from the Jantabo Royal family of Lapai. His early education began at Marafa Primary School, Minna, and later armed himself with various educational qualifications that gave him the intellectual capacity and political dexterity to become a successful Banker and an astute politician.
Mercurial and methodical, Umaru Mohammed Bago always wanted to be a politician as he quest for ways to add value to and uplift the collective living conditions of the people whose mandate he now holds.
Today, February 22nd, 2024, Farmer Governor is celebrating his 50 years anniversary on earth. His Golden Jubilee birthday may be celebrated across the state and, surely, it would be marked by an outpouring of goodwill messages and prayers. His birthday is not only worth celebrating, but it is only appropriate to seize the occasion to showcase his determination, dedication, relentless effort and an undying spirit to establish a New Niger.
At 50, Farmer Governor Umaru Bago is also been celebrated today as a courageous individual who has defied all the obstacles and developmental barriers that had hitherto stagnated the state to kick-start a revolution and brought back the lost hope of many Nigerlites.
His doggedness to turn around the fortunes of this state led to the conversion of Shiroro Hotel to Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Teaching Hospital (IBBUTH), the upgrade of the State College of Education to the conventional Abdulkadir Kure University as well as the redevelopment of the 3-arm zone. The conversion of the College of Agriculture Mokwa and the establishment of more tertiary institutions such as the University of Technology Zungeru and that of Health Science in Suleja are all in the offing.
Aware of the comparative economic advantage of agriculture and all its value-chain and vast cultivable landmass of the state, Farmer Governor Bago has prioritized this sector to stimulate the economy and bring prosperity to the state. He has procured 300 Tractors, purchased and distributed farms inputs such as Rice Millers, Multi-purpose Threshers, Hammer Mills, power Tillers, de-stoners, Rice Transplanters, water pumps, improved seedlings and fertilizers, to farmers across the three geo-political zones in the state.
To transition from subsistence to mechanized farming, the Bago-led administration entered into various agricultural partnership with foreign and domestic investors and the results are already beginning to manifest. A service-led agreement between the state government and the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has commenced as AFAN will serve as out-growers of different kinds of food for 2024 dry season farming. Government is providing 550,000 hectares of land to 35,000 farmers to produce 3million tones of food on their lands while the state provides them with N30billion worth of farm inputs.
Governor Umaru Bago’s ambitious agricultural revolution is to ensure food sufficiency and guarantee security. That’s why a state-owned Private Enterprize was established to serve as a platform that the state government will use to facilitate all the agricultural investments and ensure that the investments thrive.
Farmer Governor Bago did not only focus on agriculture as an integral aspect that has a great multiplier effect on the economy and capable of improving the living standard of the people. He is equally giving attention to other sectors that are necessary in providing a holistic and sustainable development to the state and its people.
He has began his administration’s infrastructural development under the ‘Urban Renewal’ policy. The Farmer Governor is aware how the haphazard development and limited public amenities held back the potentials of the state, especially the major cities and came up with the multi-billion naira vision that would breathe new life into these major towns to create vibrant, modern, livable and economically viable communities that residents will be proud of.
The vision, which has since turned into progressive projects, are the Minna township roads and Bida Ring Road, and are to be replicated in Suleja and Kontagora to improve connectivity, open up new frontiers, revitalize local businesses, boost trade and facilitate better access to education, medical services and markets.
– Ibrahim is the Chief Press Secretary to Farmer Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago of Niger State.
