LIGHT FOR ALL, GROWTH FOR ALL: BAGO MAKES THE POWER STATE WORK AGAIN

 

For the first time in many years, Niger State is being spoken about not just as the “Power State” or because of our dams, but as the hub for clean and sustainable energy development in Nigeria. That is the result of 3 years of purposeful leadership by Farmer Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, and the relentless drive of Honourable Commissioner Suleiman Umar at the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy.

From the day the New Niger Agenda began, Farmer Governor Bago made one promise clear: no community will be left in darkness. Today that promise is turning into light, jobs, farms, schools, hospitals, and industries across all 25 Local Government Areas.

This journey started with bold partnerships and policy. At the REA State-By-State Roundtable in Abuja, Niger State stood tall. Under the theme “Unlocking Niger State’s Energy Potential: Scaling Distributed Renewables to Power Broad-Based Sustainable and Socio-Economic Growth”, Farmer Governor Bago told investors directly: Niger State is ready. Come and invest. He said we have land, we have sun, we have political will, and we have a government that pays counterpart funding promptly. That meeting produced a signed MOU between Niger State and the Rural Electrification Agency. It was also there that REA’s Managing Director, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, confirmed that up to 30 REA projects are being developed in Niger State, and that $750 million approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for rural electrification will support our new integrated communities.

Niger State is leading by example. We are the first sub-national government in Nigeria to establish a Green and Blue Economy Agency with professionals who understand climate finance and sustainability. We have already begun transitioning our hospitals, public schools, and government offices into green facilities. Through the Sustainable Integrated Productive Communities SIPC Project, we have presented a Certificate of Occupancy for 100,000 hectares to the Federal Ministry of Finance. That land, covering Minna to Zungeru, Lapai to Lambata, Minna to Bida, Lapai to Paiko, and Minna to Suleja, will host farm estates with solar power, housing, and agricultural infrastructure. In addition, the state has made available an additional hectares from each of the 25 LGAs for any investor willing to develop renewable energy.

The results are already on the ground. In Lambata, Gurara LGA, we successfully launched a 990kW interconnected mini-grid to power 3,900 homes and businesses. Across the state, over 80 mini-grids have connected 70,000 households and deployed 60MW of clean electricity. In Ibeto, a project abandoned for 15 years under NIPP was revived by this administration and completed. Light has finally returned to homes, markets, schools and health centers there. This is what the New Niger Agenda means: reviving what was forgotten and building what was never done.

Farmer Governor Bago is also opening Niger State to the world. With ECOWAS and REA through ROGEAP, we are electrifying 17 Primary Healthcare Centers and 6 boarding schools across the state. From Suleja to Gurara, Shiroro to Munya, Lapai to Agaie, Katcha to Bida, Edati to Mokwa, Wushishi to Rafi, Mariga to Kontagora and Rijau, health centers will now run essential equipment and emergency care. Students at Government Girls Science College Bida, Government Science College Suleja, Maryam Babangida Girls Science College Minna, Muhammad Kobo Secondary School Lapai, College of Art and Islamic Legal Studies Kontagora, and Government Girls Science Unity College Kontagora will now study longer with technology and reliable light. Deployment runs through September 2026 and work has started.

On industrial energy, the 500-hectare solar farm at Diko, Gurara LGA is adding new strength to our economic drive. With the AKK gas pipeline and 200,000 hectares being gazetted from Diko to Tafa for industries, Niger State is positioning itself as the destination for factories that will produce solar cells and batteries right here, so we don’t have to import everything from China.

And then there is the landmark IsDB partnership. The Federal Executive Council has approved $160 million for the Niger State Solar Energy Development Project $150 million from Islamic Development Bank and $10 million counterpart from Niger State. The project will deliver a 100MW solar plant on 500 hectares in Makunkele, Bosso LGA, the biggest renewable energy project of its kind in Nigeria today. But it is more than power. The energy farm will include a School, a Healthcare Center, and affordable clean energy for institutions, homes, and agricultural mechanization. Implementation is underway. Honourable Suleiman Umar is already leading the compensation phase, engaging communities, District Heads, and stakeholders at the Bosso Secretariat to ensure fairness and smooth delivery.

This is all backed by strong institutions. The Niger State Electricity Regulatory Commission NSERC, supervised by Honourable Suleiman Umar, is validating the 2026 Electricity Bill to create a competitive, transparent market. We are training regulators on tariff methodology so that power is cost-reflective, fair, and attractive to investors. Talks are also ongoing with NDPHC to strengthen infrastructure and power critical assets like the Chanchaga Water Works.

What ties all of this together is Farmer Governor Bago’s philosophy: “Infrastructure without economic activity will fail.” That is why we set aside land for housing and agriculture. Because when people produce, they can pay for energy, health, and education. When there is production, sustainability becomes natural.

This is why Farmer Governor Umaru Bago deserves a second chance. In just 3 years, he has moved Niger State from potential to action. He has attracted global partners, signed MOUs, paid counterpart funds, revived abandoned projects, deployed mini-grids, and started the biggest solar projects in the country. He has given us a Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy that works led by Honourable Suleiman Umar that engages communities, protects investors, and delivers on the ground.

Niger State hosts Kainji, Shiroro, Zungeru and Jebba dams, yet for too long our rural people remained in darkness. That paradox ends now. Under the New Niger Agenda, we are lighting up schools, hospitals, farms, markets and homes. We are building resilient institutions, not just projects. 

The farmer in Lapai, the nurse in Mokwa, the trader in Bida, the student in Kontagora — they are all waiting, and light is coming. 

Let us keep this momentum. Let us give Farmer Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago a second chance to complete the work he has started. Let us together Light up the Power State and Nigeria as a whole.

From: Office of the Honourable Commissioner for Power and Renewable Energy, Niger State 

A.B Makama, Media Strategist