Niger Governor, Umaru Bago inaugurates 8-day executive retreat for Commissioners -designate, Chairpersons-elect

Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago   on Wednesday, inaugurated an eight-day executive retreat aimed at aligning top government officials with the administration’s policy direction and strengthening good governance in the state.

Umaru Bago, represented by his Deputy , Comrade Yakubu Garba, said the retreat was designed to deepen the understanding of Commissioners-designate, Chairpersons-elect, Advisers and Permanent Secretaries on the government’s development priorities.

He condemned the recent abduction of pupils and teachers of St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri in Agwara Local Government Area, describing the incident as disturbing and unacceptable.

The Governor said the security challenge underscored the need for innovative thinking, improved coordination and bold implementation of policies to protect citizens and promote stability.

He said the retreat would focus on building leadership capacity, strengthening strategic planning, promoting fiscal discipline and enhancing people-centred service delivery across the state.

Umaru Bago said public office was a trust that required accountability, transparency and disciplined conduct, noting that the government expected visible improvements in the lives of citizens.

He urged the officials to fully participate in the sessions, share ideas and build stronger collaboration across ministries and local governments to improve the performance of government institutions.

Earlier, the Secretary to the Government of Niger State said the retreat provided an opportunity to foster unity, shared purpose and renewed commitment among senior government functionaries.

He said governance at the current stage of the state’s development demanded fresh thinking, stronger collaboration and a focus on producing measurable results for communities.

The SGS identified security and agriculture as central pillars of the state’s development vision, adding that sustainable progress depended on collective effort from all arms of the executive.

He urged Chairpersons-elect to prioritise grassroots development, while reminding commissioners and advisers that they formed the “engine room” responsible for translating government plans into action.

Delivering the keynote address, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Malam Yayale Ahmed, represented by Prof. Nasiru Maiturare, said governance was a collaborative process that required cross-sector cooperation.

Yayale Ahmed said development issues were interconnected and required coordinated effort across ministries, local governments, communities, the private sector, civil society and development partners to achieve visible results within 360 days.

He called for a shared mental model among executive officials, alignment around concrete priorities, and the use of simple coordination tools such as dashboards, stakeholder maps and public engagement plans to strengthen accountability.

In her remarks, Deputy Speaker of the Niger House of Assembly, Hon. Afiniki Dauda, representing Speaker Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji, urged the participants to work closely with legislators, seek guidance from experienced colleagues and build relationships that would support seamless collaboration ahead of the state’s budget engagements.