By Suleiman Yakubu

Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has saluted his deputy, Comrade Yakubu Garba, on his 50th birthday.
The governor, in a birthday message, described the celebrant as a generous, humble, loyal, and dependable ally.
In a statement made available to newsmen by his Chief Press Secretary, Mal Bologi Ibrahim, the governor observed that his deputy has been dedicated and committed to their shared vision for a New Niger.
Bago appreciated the existing harmonious relationship between them and the sacrifices of his deputy for the total transformation of the state.
He assured the celebrant of his unflinching support as they moved on with the task of rebuilding the state.
He also prayed that God would guide and protect his deputy, grant him good health, and give him more wisdom to continue to deliver selfless service to the people.  

By Suleiman Yakubu

There were strong indications that Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago was willing and ready to implement the 35 percent wage increase for civil servants in Niger State to demonstrate his administration's friendly dispositions towards workers.
An insider who pleaded to be anonymous said that indeed, the governor expressed his desire to emulate the federal government's May Day gesture to federal workers and civil servants in Niger State and even do more.
It would be recalled that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced on May 1 percentage increases in the wages of federal civil servants to commemorate Workers Day.
At the event in Minna, the Niger State capital, the state head of service, Engr. Abubakar Salisu, who represented the governor, announced to the mammoth crowd of workers who thronged the Idris Kutigi International Conference Centre to celebrate May Day, that the governor had called him and directed him to immediately commence the process of increasing civil servant salaries by 35 percent.
The announcement ignited thunderous applause from workers, who commended the governor for the gesture, saying the news changed their bad mood and praying that the implementation would be effective in May.
The source who spoke to Newsline online said the governor wanted to change the perception that he did not care much about workers welfare in the state.
"See, Bago is a welfarist, as he derives absolute happiness from putting smiles on people's faces. He wished the resources were abundantly enough; every sector in the state would have felt his impact, not least the civil servants," he said.
He explained that the governor wants to fix the infrastructure in the state, generate and tap wealth from the abundance of the state's natural resources, which are agriculture, and put the state on a strong and sound economic footing that will be a source of pride for all Nigerlites.
According to him, "there's no denying that the governor meant very well for our state. He has turned the entire state into a construction site, something that is unprecedented since the creation of the state.
"He has also attracted multibillion-dollar investment into the most critical sector of our economy, which is agriculture.
"We have greater economic advantage in that aspect than any state in Nigeria. This is a chance for Nigerlites to rally behind him and support this history in the making," the source added.
The governor's directive to the state head of service has attracted comments from civil servants who were excited about the development. Isah Adamu, a civil servant, noted that it will help them in no small measure to cushion the difficulties the harsh economic reality puts them into.
He said it was a long-awaited intervention and prayed that officials charged with the task of implementing the directive would commence work in earnest.