Mohammed Umaru Bago is a Nigerian politician who contested the 2023 Gubernatorial Elections as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Niger. They won with 470K votes (53.82%).

Biography

Mohammed Umar (born 22 February 1974) is a Nigerian banker and politician who is the current governor of Niger State since 29 May 2023. He was born in Minna, Niger State, to a Nupe family. He was a member of the House of Representative representing Chanchaga Federal Constituency.

Mohammed Bago emerged as the winner of the 2023 gubernatorial elections in Niger State after defeating Isah Liman Kantigi of PDP. Born in 1974, Hon. Umar Bago attended Marafa Primary School, Minna and Federal Government College, Jos. He earned his West Africa School Certificate from the WAEC.

He earned a bachelor's degree in political science at Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto. Hon. Umaru Bago has obtained several postgraduate diplomas and master's degrees, including a postgraduate diploma in management from the Federal University of Technology Minna in 2001, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in economics at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, in 2003, and a master’s degree in finance at the University of Calabar in 2005. He is also a distinguished alumnus from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom in 2014.

Bago worked with the United Bank for Africa (UBA), First City Monument Bank (FCMB), and Afri-Bank PLC. He served as manager at First City Monument Bank. He officially joined politics in 2007.

He contested for the Speakership position of the House of Representatives of Nigeria, coming second to Femi Gbajabiamila in the 9th National Assembly. He stated, 'I won't back down; I just want to correct the mistake of the party leaders by opinion of zonings.' He chaired the House Committee on Maritime Safety, Education, and Administration.

In 2016, he advised the management of the Maritime Commission that 83 staff should be relieved of their duties, stating, 'That is how touts are employed.' He urged NIMASA to spend money wisely in a well-prepared process.

He won the APC gubernatorial primary elections in Niger State ahead of the 2023 general elections. He became the winner of the gubernatorial election after pulling a total of 469,896 votes to his closest rival, Alhaji Isah Liman Kantigi, who got 387,476 votes.

Bago is married with children. His mother, Hajiya Aisha Mohammed, died on 1 June 2019 after a brief illness. To improve the educational quality of his constituency, he bought 1000 JAMB forms for his people. He also distributed 11 trailer loads of rice to his constituency as palliative during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

Party Positions

Policy positions from the All Progressives Congress (APC) party manifesto.

Agriculture

Launches the Irrigate Nigeria Project as a public-private partnership to develop small-scale irrigation and water catchment systems using modern technology to boost agricultural productivity.

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Security & Defense

Will deploy modern aerial surveillance and advanced technology to monitor and deter intrusions into oil pipelines, power stations, and other critical national infrastructure in real time.

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Environment & Climate

Accelerates the environmental cleanup and re-establishment of fisheries and profitable aquacultural activities in the Niger-Delta region to counter violent extremism and poverty-driven disaffection.

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Economy & Trade

Will implement the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and additional favorable policies to attract investment in deep-water assets within 6 months, including encouraging signature bonus negotiations and royalty reliefs.

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Infrastructure

Creates regional industrial hubs in specific zones (North West, North East, South East, South South, South West, North Central) to focus on labor-intensive manufacturing, with tailored investments (e.g., textiles, dry ports, glass, pottery, solid minerals, regulated mining).

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Enterprise grant support

Work with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to simplify loan processes for commercial banks, mandate federally owned banks to provide low-cost loans to youth-led enterprises, and expand business incubation centers to support youth innovation.

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Energy

Will mandate gas metering equipment on all facilities where gas flaring occurs within 6 months and establish a special enforcement unit to monitor compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) on gas flaring reduction, with non-compliance leading to financial penalties for affected communities.

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Governance & Reform

Reserve at least 3 cabinet positions for individuals under 40 and 6 more positions for members under the age of 40, and mandate that at least 20% of political appointments to Ministries/Dangomas (MDAs) be reserved for individuals under 40.

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Education

Raises the priority of addressing out-of-school children, establishes a task force to review and strengthen programs like school feeding, and aims to reduce disaffected youth recruitment by violent groups.

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Healthcare

Will establish a network of upgraded, equipped, and staffed general hospitals in every Local Government Area, tertiary facilities in each State, and world-class specialist hospitals in each geo-political zone to improve healthcare accessibility and quality.

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Technology & Digital

Supports the development of MSMEs through partnerships with fintech players to expand access to capital and business development services.

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Reliefs and scholarships

Commits to a conditional income support program requiring recipients to meet human capital goals (school attendance, healthcare, nutrition) in exchange for payments.

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