Breaking: Nigerian Governor Announces Amount He Pays His Farm Workers
- Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger State made the claim at the FirstBank Agric & Export Expo 2026 in Lagos
- Bago said the wages on his farm surpass what many government employees and bank workers earn monthly
- The governor warned that Nigeria spent over $3 billion on food imports and called for stronger domestic production policy
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Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has revealed that graduate workers on his farm earn a minimum of N500,000 every month, a figure he says exceeds the salaries paid by many government agencies and private employers.
Bago made the disclosure on Thursday, September 17, during the opening ceremony of the FirstBank Agric & Export Expo 2026 in Lagos.
Source: Twitter
The event, themed "From Farm to Global Markets: Building Nigeria's Export Value Chain," brought together investors, financial institutions, and policymakers to discuss the future of Nigeria's agricultural sector.
Bago challenges banks and government on pay
Speaking at the event, the governor used his farm's wage structure to illustrate what he called the untapped potential of private agriculture as an employer of skilled labour.
"In our farm, we pay a graduate minimum 500,000 monthly," Bago said. "How much does the government pay? FirstBank, how much do you pay?"
He went further, suggesting the gap was wide enough for him to attract workers away from established institutions.
"It means I can poach all FirstBank workers who earn less than my minimum wage, to my farm," he said.
Bago argued that the disparity between agricultural and corporate wages showed that well-run farming enterprises could compete with white-collar employers, and he urged the private sector to invest more heavily in the space.
"So, I want to encourage the private sector to do more," he said.
Nigeria's $3 billion food import bill
Beyond wages, the governor raised alarm over Nigeria's growing dependence on imported food, describing the current trend as unsustainable.
He said the country had already spent more than $3 billion on food imports within the year, with that figure potentially rising to $4 billion before the year ends.
"It is scary," Bago said, calling for a clear national policy centred on what he described as food sovereignty.
He emphasised that prioritising domestic food production was not optional but essential for the country's long-term economic stability.
The governor used his address to push for greater private sector participation in agriculture, particularly in livestock production, which he identified as a significant driver of both employment and economic growth.
New minimum wage: Nigerian workers demand N300,000 pay
Previously, Legit.ng reported that a civil servants' group, the Federal Workers Forum (FWF), formally wrote to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly demanding that the federal minimum wage be raised from N70,000 to N300,000, with a maximum salary of N1.5 million for Level 17 officers.
The letter, dated September 2, 2026, was signed by National Coordinator Andrew Emelieze and General Secretary Ogundele Ayodele. It was addressed to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives through the Clerk of the National Assembly, with President Tinubu, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation listed as additional recipients.
Source: Legit.ng
