Governor of The Year: Midjiyawa Bakary’s unrivalled administrative dexterity on spotlight.

The ceremony brought together a cross-section of guests, officials and other laureates from different walks of life. 

The Far North Region governor, organisers of the award said, garnered the highest number of votes from readers of The Guardian Post across the globe, which were in turn vetted by the award jury, to be decorated as the most productive governor of the year 2025.

According to the President of the Award Jury, Theodore Mih Ndze, the Far North Region governor embodies integrity and commitment to the common good. 

He maintained that the award, based on the massive endorsement of readers of The Guardian Post, is a testament to the governor’s courage in the face of multiple challenges.

Mih Ndze, who is also Publisher of the authoritative Bi-weekly newspaper, The Voice, also remarked that Governor Midjiyawa Bakary has shown uncommon consistency in delivering results across the Far North Region.

He remarked that organisers of The Guardian Post Achievement Award, which has the Head of State, Paul Biya and First Lady, Chantal Biya among former laureates believe that, “it is not just about applause it is about inspiring others to follow the footsteps of those who lead with vision and purpose”.

He was categorical that the assessments of readers of The Guardian Post puts the Far North Region Governor among “the very best of what our nation wants and our people can achieve”.

The superscale civil administrator, he stated, “reminds us that true achievement is measured, not by personal gains by the lives touched and the communities uplifted and impacted”.

Mih Ndze thanked the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian Post, Kristian Ngah Christian, for sustaining The Guardian Post newspaper, with the highest standards of journalism respected, and for creating a platform to celebrate great achievers like Governor Midjiyawa Bakary.

The Guardian Post Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Kristian Ngah Christian, on his part noted that in the last 25 years, The Guardian Post Achievement Award has continued to remain relevant, celebrating men and women across different strata of life; be they compatriots or foreigners who excel.

He revisited the Head of State, several members of government, diplomats, community actors to demonstrate that those who shine through the awards do so on merit. 

Ngah stated that The Guardian Post has built its credibility over the last 25 years, with a very critical readership that continues to vote laureates without fear or favour.

Why Governor Midjiyawa Bakary won

According to the award jury, Governor Midjiyawa Bakary bagged home the 2025 Governor of The Year Award: “In recognition of his tact and levelheadedness in handling inter-community clashes, rising insecurity, strict follow up of development projects and restoring calm in the Far North Region; after the October 12, 2025 post-presidential election riots”.

The Far North Region, it should be recalled, lived through 2025, witnessing several challenges which the governor mobilised his collaborators and living forces of the administrative units to handle with tact. 

The most recent of them was the widespread protests and destruction of public and private property that followed the October 12, 2025 presidential election.

The award-winning civil administrator was praised for his shrewdness in handling the situation. His dexterity in working with security forces, administrative officials and community leaders to restore calm, continues to be cited as exemplary and matchless.

When protests broke out after the October 12, 2025 presidential poll, Governor Midjiyawa Bakary engaged dialogue where necessary and engaged the population. This, is said to be the reason social life quickly picked steam after a relapse; with schools, churches, mosques and trade between the region and the southern part of the country returning to normalcy till date.

The governor, who has often been admired for his constant presence on the field, continues to be referenced for always engaging communities that suffer Boko Haram incursions and for working to improve the security situation of his region. 

He entered the annals of history in 2025, for wittily handling and resolving several community and inter-community conflicts, through tact and precision. Midjiyawa Bakary has made a name in enhancing the living together experiences and constantly getting the Far North Region to stand alongside the nation.

He is also credited with the successful voluntary return of thousands of refugees to their homelands, Nigerians.

Given the antecedent challenges across the Far North Region, Midjiyawa Bakary has more in his hands. He continues to handle and oversees several development projects to deal with, especially those linked to droughts, flooding and climate change in general. The untiring administrator has worked with several national and development partners to make things happen. 

He has also been a frontline actor in the reconstruction and development of the Far North Region. With such a catalogue, the votes that he garnered across the 12 months of 2025, to bag the Governor of The Year Award, many are saying, came as no surprise.

About Governor Midjiyawa Bakary 

Born in Galim, Bamboutos Division, West Region in 1961, Midjiyawa Bakary is a native of the Adamawa Region. He is a career super scale civil administrator who trained at the National School of Administration and Magistracy, ENAM.

He has served across the country in different administrative units. Among them are those of Assistant Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, Mvina Division of the Adamawa Region. 

Midjiyawa Bakary also worked as Divisional Officer, DO and SDO in several areas. He was promoted to Governor of the West Region, where he worked for many years before his transfer in same capacity to the Far North Region, in June 2014.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3825 of Monday June 22, 2026