Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has said graduate assistants working on his farms earn a monthly wage of ₦500,000, as he called for greater emphasis on productivity and agriculture as a source of employment and income.
Bago made the disclosure while advocating a shift from Nigeria’s traditional salary-based employment structure to a system that places greater emphasis on wages linked to work and productivity.
The governor argued that agriculture could provide young Nigerians with better earning opportunities than waiting for conventional white-collar jobs.
He cited his own farming operations as an example, saying graduate assistants employed on his farms receive ₦500,000 every month.
Bago has repeatedly promoted agriculture as a major part of his administration’s economic strategy in Niger State, which has extensive farmland and a large rural population.
He said the state’s agricultural potential could be used to create jobs, improve food production and generate higher incomes for young people.
The governor also advocated the development of farm communities and estates where people could live and work around agricultural production.
His comments come amid continuing debate over wages and the purchasing power of Nigerian workers, particularly following recent increases in statutory minimum wages across the country.
Bago has previously linked Niger State’s agricultural programme with its ability to sustain higher wages. The state approved an ₦80,000 minimum wage for its civil servants in 2024 and said agricultural expansion would help support future increases.
The governor’s latest remarks put agriculture at the centre of the discussion about employment and earnings, particularly for graduates entering the labour market.
He said a system based more directly on productivity could encourage people to participate in farming and other productive activities rather than depending solely on fixed salaries.
For Niger State, the approach also reflects the government’s broader push to expand commercial agriculture, mechanisation and farm-based communities as part of efforts to strengthen the state economy.
The governor’s claim about ₦500,000 monthly pay, however, specifically concerns graduate assistants working on his farms and should not be interpreted as the statutory minimum wage for workers across Niger State.
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