By Correspondent in Minna.
Less than two years after inaugurating his cabinet, the Governor of Niger State, Hon. Mohammed Umar Bago, has dissolved the State Executive Council (SEC), describing the decision as part of a midterm performance review.
The move, announced after a valedictory SEC meeting held at Government House, Minna, on Monday, comes amid growing criticisms of the administration’s policies, programmes, and communication strategies.
Addressing journalists, Governor Bago explained that while some cabinet members had exceeded the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) set under his administration’s New Niger Agenda, others fell short.
He stressed that the decision was necessary to realign government machinery with the vision of driving sustainable growth and development.
“Some of the commissioners performed excellently well, others not so much. But beyond performance, I have also discovered that some of them have strengths in other areas. “This dissolution will allow us to rejig the system and inject fresh energy to take us through the remaining one year and some months of this administration,” he said.
Bago noted that some of the former commissioners could be reappointed, while others might serve in new capacities as commissioners, permanent secretaries, or special advisers.
“I was the one who appointed them, and what we have done today is in the best interest of the state. The objective is not punitive but to strengthen governance and deliver on our collective dream of a New Niger,” the governor emphasized.
He expressed appreciation to the outgoing cabinet members for their contributions so far, describing their efforts as valuable to the progress made by his administration.
Our correspondent reports that while it was not clear, at press time, whether special advisers were affected by the dissolution, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief of Staff, and Deputy Chief of Staff retained their positions.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
