My students can easily quote my statement that “high-ranking and successful farmers globally are mostly those coming from other professions and had no formal training as agriculturalists.” Like football, the love of farming is driven first by passion and family food security, then by business acumen. Farming has the widest standard deviation; you can invest heavily and lose every dime, or you can make profits in multiples of your investment. Arch Kabir Ibrahim Faskari was a typical example of a successful farmer driven by passion and love for the farming venture.
My first meeting with Arch Kabir Ibrahim Faskari was on 2nd May 2015, when he visited the then Executive Director (ED) of the National Agricultural Research and Liaison Services (NAERLS), Dr. Ismaila Y. Ilu, accompanied by Alhaji Iro Suleiman. I was called to hear the challenge he issued to the Agricultural Complex of Ahmadu Bello University. The complex comprises the Faculties of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine; the University-based Research Institutes (IAR, NAERLS, and NAPRI); the Veterinary Teaching Hospital; the University Farm; and the Division of Agricultural Colleges. A presidential election had been held earlier, and General Muhammadu Buhari, of blessed memory, had emerged as the democratically elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, awaiting swearing-in on 29th May 2015. Kabir asked what contribution the ABU Agricultural Complex would make to the incoming government of President Buhari. Before the Chairman of the Complex, who was also the ED of NAERLS, Dr. Y. Ilu, could respond, he suggested that the Complex should provide a strategic blueprint to address the challenges bedeviling the Nigerian agricultural sector in view of the population explosion.
Within an hour, we all agreed to organize an agricultural symposium to create a forum for interaction among key stakeholders and to generate ideas to support the development of agriculture in the new political dispensation. There was a general concern that agriculture should occupy its rightful place in the national economy as a reliable means of sustaining the economy and creating jobs for millions of Nigerians. Several opportunities in the agricultural sector remain untapped. Arch Kabir was then the President of the All-Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), an umbrella body for all agricultural associations in Nigeria. I was asked to chair the local organizing committee. The Symposium, held from May 21 to 22, 2015, at the NAERLS Conference Hall, had the theme “Agricultural Development Strategy in the New Political Dispensation” and was graced by dignitaries from universities and research institutes, prominent farmers, and traditional rulers.
I worked closely with Arch Kabir because the ABU Complex and AFAN jointly organized the symposium. I was amazed by Kabir’s wealth of agricultural experience, depth of knowledge, humility, simplicity, commitment, and audacity in championing strategic goals to boost agriculture and emancipate peasant farmers in Nigeria. The participants at the symposium deliberated extensively on all papers presented. They developed a blueprint to support the new government of President Buhari in revolutionizing agriculture to achieve food security, developing the cottage industry, and making a major contribution to the nation’s economy.
From 2015 to 2022, I worked with Arch Kabir on three ministerial committees under Chief Audu Ogbe and Alhaji Sabo Nanono, who served as Ministers of Agriculture and Rural Development during President Buhari’s tenure. We also met at other agricultural forums across the nation. Each time we met, my respect for him as the farmers’ champion grew. He was always blunt and fearless in saying the right things at the right time and in explaining how the nation should place agriculture in the esteem it deserves for the nation’s interest. Give Kabir one minute to talk about Nigerian agriculture, and he would take thirty minutes nonstop, with well-articulated points effortlessly flowing from his intellect. He was a vast reservoir of agricultural knowledge. He was deeply passionate about farming and farmers’ welfare. He dedicated his time, knowledge, and resources to advancing the interests and well-being of Nigerian farmers. His commitment, accessibility, and contributions to the agricultural sector are unprecedented, as he has always been at the forefront of advancing Nigerian agriculture.
In Katsina and the surrounding areas, Alhaji Kabir Ibrahim Faskari was widely known as KEBRAM, an indefatigable entrepreneur par excellence with a chain of investments spanning education, health services, bakery & confectionery, and mortgage. He was the founder and proprietor of KEBRAM College of Health Sciences and Technology, Damale Schools Nursery, Primary & Secondary Schools, and KEBRAM School of Nursing and Midwifery. As of the last count, KEBRAM was the proprietor, founder, and CEO of 18 groups of companies, including ADA Microfinance Bank, Oil and Gas, Tannery, Table Water, Juices & Yogurt Ltd, among others. He had 100s of employees, students, and trainees in schools and skill-acquiring centers such as Kebram Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Kebram Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Center.
Arch Kabir Ibrahim left a distinguished mark on Nigeria’s agricultural sector, holding several exalted positions over time. He served as the National President of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) from 2007 to 2012. He was also elected as the National President of the All-Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (AFAN) from 2014 to 2025. In 2022, he was elected as the President of the Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG), a position he held until our Maker, the Almighty Allah, recalled him on 29th August 2026. He brought AFAN to prominence and earned the respect and esteem of the government and development partners, which provided opportunities to contribute to the development and implementation of the government’s agricultural policy. Forums brought our paths together when I was the Executive Director of NAERLS, and he was the president of AFAN. I remember his active participation in the development of the Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP)-Green Alternative from 2016-2020, with a strategy framework of the Nigerian Agricultural Technology & Innovation Plan (NATIP). He was a prominent voice in Nigeria’s agricultural sector and played key roles in farmers’ organizations; he was well known for his advocacy on issues affecting farmers, food production, poultry farming, and the agricultural business in Nigeria.
We will certainly miss KEBRAM, his actions, facilitation, and advocacy for the development of agriculture in Nigeria. May Allah forgive his shortcomings, have mercy on him, grant him Aljannatul Firdaus, and grant his family, colleagues, the farming community, and all those he left behind the strength and patience to bear this loss. Ameen. My heartfelt condolences to his family; his brother, Dr. Abdullahi Garba Faskari, Secretary to Katsina State Government; his classmate and close friend, Maj. General J. S. Bindawa (Rt), Chairman and CEO, National Salaries and Wages Commission; his friend, Alhaji Iro Suleiman Faskari; and his numerous associates and dependents. May we all have the fortitude to bear this great loss. Ameen.
