“The Power State”
- Capital
- Minna
- Created
- 3 February 1976
- Population
- 6,783,300 2022 estimate
- LGAs
- 25
His Excellency
Mohammed Umaru Bago
Executive Governor of Niger State
All Progressives Congress North-Central
- In office since
- 29 May 2023
- Term
- 1st term
- Term ends
- May 2027
- Deputy
- Yakubu Garba
Biography
Mohammed Umaru Bago (born 22 February 1974) is a Nigerian banker and politician who has served as Governor of Niger State since 29 May 2023. Born in Minna to a Nupe family, he was educated at Federal Government College, Jos, and Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and holds several postgraduate qualifications in management and finance.
After a banking career he was elected to the House of Representatives for Chanchaga Federal Constituency, where he became a prominent figure and ran for Speaker in 2019.
As the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate he won the March 2023 governorship election, polling 469,896 votes against 387,476 for Isah Liman Kantigi of the PDP. Yakubu Garba, a former chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Niger State, is his deputy and has been retained as running mate for 2027.
Styling himself the 'Farmer Governor', Bago has prioritised agricultural mechanisation, road construction and urban renewal in Minna, while contending with banditry in several LGAs.
Career before office
Bago worked as a banker with United Bank for Africa, First City Monument Bank and Afribank before entering politics in 2007. He represented Chanchaga Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, chaired the House Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration, and contested the speakership of the 9th House in 2019, finishing second to Femi Gbajabiamila.
Key initiatives in office
- Reported construction or rehabilitation of more than 1,000 km of roads across the 25 LGAs (2023-2026)
- Launched a Minna urban renewal programme including about 202 km of township roads, flyovers and an underpass
- Procured tractors and mechanised equipment to expand commercial agriculture under the 'Farmer Governor' agenda
- Upgraded primary health care centres across all 25 LGAs
- Revived construction of a five-star hotel in Minna to boost hospitality and investment
- Grew the state's IGR from N21.7 billion (2023) to about N66.4 billion (2025) per NBS
Education
- Marafa Primary School, Minna
- Federal Government College, Jos
- B.Sc. Political Science, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto
- Postgraduate Diploma in Management, Federal University of Technology, Minna (2001)
- MBA, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma (2003)
- M.Sc. Finance, University of Calabar (2005)
Niger State at a glance
North-Central
Other governors in the zone
Benue State
Hyacinth Iormem Alia
Kogi State
Ahmed Usman Ododo
Kwara State
AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq
Nasarawa State