Niger state government has debunked speculations about possible cracks in the State Executive Council (SEC), ahead of 2027 general elections, insisting that most of the cabinet members are in their duty posts to deliver according to the administration’s mandate.
The clarifications is coming against the backdrop of speculations that some members, Commissioner in particular are refusing to feature in the weekly press briefing because they have nothing to tell journalists in terms of achievements made in the past two years.
Apart from the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hajiya Binta Mamman who is a regular face coordinating the supposed weekly briefings, about 85 percent of the Commissioners have never briefed journalists on achievements so far in their respective ministries after almost two years in office.
Daily Independent newspapers learnt that there have been graveyard quietness between Governor Bago, his deputy, Comrade Yakubu Garba and some Commissioners bothering on contracts award, execution and the general administration of the state.
To avoid being drilled by journalists who already noticed that majority of them deliberately avoid the weekly briefings because they have nothing to explain, the Commissioners decide to either remain in their respective homes and only show up in offices at month ends or at functions where the Governor would be in attendance, while some simply retire at various comfort zones.
Some SEC members, our correspondent further learnt , view the leadership style of the Governor as being more of master servant affairs than collective in the governance of the state hence are not happy to have been reduced to mere supervisors or as errand boys to the Governor who solely awards contracts while they are only to supervise and give him feedbacks.
But in a swift reaction, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hajiya Binta Mamman said there’s no crack in the SEC, but that most of the Commissioners in particular are at various locations working hard to ensure that the administration delivers according to mandate.
Binta Mamman told our correspondent shortly after briefing reporters on Tuesday that, “The Commissioners or other members of SEC are on the field working hard to deliver in line with the collective mandate of the Bago led administration”.
“No, there’s no crack in the system. The SEC as it is constituted is intact. Most of the Commissioners are on the field doing one thing or another in accordance with the mandate”, adding that the team is working tirelessly to deliver.
Binta explained that part of the administration’s giant strides in food security is the advancement of Agricultural Development with three new Special Agro Processing zones in; Minna, Bida and Mokwa.
The Commissioner who was joined in the briefing by the Permanent Secretary ministry for Industry, Trade, Investments and Private Sector Development, Mallam Hamza Sarki Bello, also told journalists that the Bago led administration has successfully secured certificates for the establishment of three Special Agro Processing zones for ease of doing business.
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