By Rita Iliya
Minna, Dec. 3, 2025 (NAN) Gov. Umaru Bago of Niger on Wednesday inaugurated an eight-day executive retreat for commissioners-designate, chairmen-elect, their deputies, special advisers and permanent secretaries.
Bago, represented by Mr Yakubu Garba, the Deputy Governor, said the retreat was organised to align government officials with the administration’s policy direction under the New Niger Agenda.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the retreat was “Whole Governance a Collaborative Effort for Development: The Road to a New Niger”.
Bago said the retreat was to harmonise the understanding of commissioners-designate, chairmen-elect, special advisers and permanent secretaries regarding policy direction and good governance.
He said the programme was convened at a critical time following the abduction of pupils and teachers of St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri in Agwara Local Government, describing the incident as troubling and unacceptable.
The governor said the incident underscored the need for innovative thinking in security management and urged officials to support efforts aimed at protecting communities.
“The situation had deeply worried the state and reinforced the need for innovative approaches to security,” he said.
He said the retreat would strengthen leadership capacity, strategic planning, fiscal discipline, people-centred service delivery and performance evaluation across ministries and agencies.
Bago said that public office was a trust and that accountability, prudence, inclusivity and impact-driven decision-making must guide the officials’ actions.
He urged participants to lead with discipline, transparency and respect for the rule of law, adding that the government expected them to work as a team committed to building a prosperous state.
Earlier, Alhaji Abubakar Usman, Secretary to the Niger Government, said the retreat offered an opportunity to strengthen unity, shared purpose and cooperation among senior public officials.
He urged chairmen-elect to prioritise grassroots development and reminded commissioners and special advisers that they formed the engine room for implementing government policies.
In a keynote address, Malam Yayale Ahmed, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said governance was a collaborative process and not the performance of a single office.
Ahmed, represented by Prof. Nasiru Maiturare, former Vice-Chancellor of IBB University, explained that development challenges were linked and requires coordinated efforts across government, communities and partners to achieve visible results within 360 days.
He said effective governance required a shared mental model, alignment around concrete priorities, simple coordination mechanisms such as dashboards and stakeholder maps and measurable indicators with transparent reporting.
In his remarks, Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji, Speaker of Niger Assembly, urged the new officials to seek guidance from experienced colleagues and to work harmoniously with legislators, especially as budget presentations approach.
Sarkin-Daji, represented by Mrs Afiniki Dauda, Deputy Speaker of the assembly, advised commissioners and permanent secretaries to forge strong relationships with lawmakers from their local governments and work as a unified structure to drive the New Niger Agenda. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz
