A statement from Niger State Government House, Minna, says the directive by Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago on the dress code for civil servants was quoted out of context and wrongly presented to the public.
The governor, in a statement made available to newsmen by his Chief Press Secretary, Mal. Bologi Ibrahim, said the video going around on social media platforms did not capture the governor's statement in its original context.
The statement quoted the governor as saying, "I believed that, as a state, we have no reason to be poor because of the enormous agricultural potentials of the state and that my government was already investing heavily in the agricultural revolution, hence the need for all to collectively embrace farming, including the civil servants.
"My statement was only encouraging civil servants to be farmers, and to be a good farmer, you will need to dress smartly to farm.".
Mr. Bologi emphasised that the governor's admonition did not in any way imply that civil servants now have a dress code for office from Monday to Thursday, as erroneously captured in the video making the rounds.
He said, "The governor did not announce or mandate any dress code for the civil servants; rather, he meant every professional should be dressed based on the demands of his or her job.
"The viral video was curiously and mischievously edited to malign the governor, stressing that the general public must disregard the clip because the full video clearly defines what he meant," he added.
He advised social media influencers to be mindful and sure of the contents and context of the information they circulate on social media to avoid misrepresentations of facts.
In a video clip currently trending on social media, the governor was presented as banning civil servants, both male and female, from wearing kaftans, babanrigas, and flowing gowns to work from Monday to Thursday.
Handing down the directive on Saturday during the presentation of land development and preparation equipment at the Brains and Hammers Rice City, Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Farm, Chakwa Community in Wushishi Local Government Area of the State, the governor was purported to have said civil servants must dress like workers who work to create wealth and not noblemen.