Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umar Bago, has spoken out strongly against how some construction projects in the state are being handled. He accused government officials, engineers, consultants, and contractors of doing dishonest and unprofessional work that is slowing down project progress.
In a video that has gone viral on social media, Governor Bago called out the Ministry of Works, the New Niger Development Company, and consultants for not taking their duties seriously. He said they are not reporting the real situation of the ongoing projects.
The governor said he decided to stop paying some contractors because of their dishonest practices and their failure to give honest updates about the work they were supposed to do.
Governor Bago mentioned that while some contractors have completed their projects fully, others are still struggling with simple parts like building drainage systems. This shows a big difference in the quality of work done by different contractors.
He said clearly, “Some contractors are doing very well, but others are doing very poorly.”
The governor openly blamed the consultants, the Ministry of Works, and the New Niger Development Company for hiding the truth and not reporting the actual progress of the projects.
He also added that it is shameful to see that some contractors have finished all their work while others are still behind on simple tasks like drainage.
However, Governor Bago assured those contractors who still have pending invoices that the government will release funds for them to continue working. But he gave a clear warning — only those who have shown they can do the job properly will get paid.
The governor also pointed out that some contractors might be working together with some government officials in shady ways. He mentioned that some of these contractors have already taken their project documents, known as Certificates of Verification, to banks, but he stopped the process because he was not satisfied with what was happening.
Governor Bago ended by saying that he alone will decide who gets paid, based on their ability to complete their jobs properly. He also said the Ministry of Works cannot approve funds unless proper checks are done first.
