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The governorship candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State, Hon Mohammed Bago, has promised to increase collaboration with security agencies and traditional institutions to curb the lingering menace of insecurity challenges bedeviling the state if elected governor of the state.
He stated this while fielding questions from the newsmen in conjunction with some stakeholders over the weekend on the sidelines of a Bago/ Yakubu Youth Summit held at the Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre in Minna, stressing that his government would exceed the United Nations affirmative action of 35 percent women in government.
Speaking further at the event, the APC’s Gubernatorial Flagbearer in Niger State further assured the youth that his administration would work to ensure that the state improves its revenue base by focusing on agricultural and rural development with the view to ensure that the state would no longer be dependent on revenue from the monthly FAAC allocation for the state.
According to him, “my government is going to be for the women and youths. We will give a considerable number of women the opportunity to represent the womenfolk in the system. The United Nations affirmative action for women talks about 35 percent, but we will exceed that during my administration in Niger state Insha Allah.”
Speaking further, he explained that “the security issue is too strategic to say publicly but we are working as a government with security agencies and we will increase more collaborations with traditional institutions and security agencies to curb the menace of insecurity across the state.
“We will engage ourselves in mechanized agriculture, we will feed ourselves and export food to other parts of this country and abroad. We have strategic plans and blueprints on how to revamp the economy, it will not be business as usual, we have to wake up and work for ourselves not be spoon-fed. We are going to work round the clock so that we can revise this trend.”
Bago said that his administration if voted into power, would have a massive project for the youth while urging the youth to take advantage of the opportunities his administration would bring to rewrite the history of the state.
He stated further that he would continue the work that had been started by Governor Abubakar Sani Bello-led administration, saying “where this government is stopping, we will pick up from there and advance it.”
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The APC governorship candidate also disclosed that during his administration, the state ministry of Agriculture would no longer have budget provisions as it would be made to generate revenue internally, for the state.
“We will take Ministry of Agriculture out of the budget of Niger State because as far as I am concerned, it is an aberration for a state to budget for a revenue-generating body which the ministry of agriculture is representing.
“However, our Ministry of Agriculture may be given grants only but they will generate revenue. The Ministry of Agriculture will give Niger State money and not Niger State giving Ministry of Agriculture money,” he declared.
Meanwhile, in separate remarks, Governor Sani-Bello said that the victory of APC in the forthcoming 2023 general elections is assured, adding that the plans unveiled by the APC governorship candidate for women and youths, including the economic development of the state would improve during the incoming administration.
“We have everything it takes to win the election in 2023. We are not making mouths. We have not relented in our efforts in mobilizing the people and we have the endorsements of youths, women, leaders, stakeholders, and party admiration. Nobody can take the victory from us. The victory of 2023 is ours,” said Governor Sani Bello.
The governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Ketso, said that youths were involved in the political process, just as he applauded the organization of the summit.
“We want the youth to be very productive. While we were worried about the youth, your programme for the youth is giving us comfort. We disown every negative name given to youths. Youths in Niger state are progressive,” the governor stated.
During the summit, the youth demanded for more elective and appointive positions in the next government as they asked the governorship candidate to do his best to eradicate unemployment, youth restiveness and open up more job opportunities for the youth in the state.
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