Deep Thought

 Kabir Ibrahim (1959-2026): Adieu, Fearless, Passionate Farmers’ Champion By Prof. M. K. Othman 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 Ahm...

 Faborode@70: Salute to Dogged, Principled and Ever-Smiling Mentor By Prof. M. K. Othman I first met Prof. Michael Oladimeji Faborode in September 1999 at the annual conference of the Nigerian Society of Agricultural Engineers (NSAE) at Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, where I served as an academic staff member for over eight years. I left in 1998 to join Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Although I was no longer working in Bauchi, I still had significant influence at the conference, having served as the pioneer local chapter ASUP chairman and the first National Financial Secretary of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) under the leadership of Mallam Hadi Auwal, of blessed memory. At the end of the conference, there was an AGM and elections for new NSAE officers, during which two candidates competed keenly for the National President position: Prof. Faborode and Dr. Yiljeph, of blessed memory. Their campaign almost split the conference attendees into two opposing camps, potenti...

 Re: Northern Security Trust Fund: ₦1bn is a beginning, not the solution By Prof. M. K. Othman   As a citizen with only one nationality, Nigerian, I have accepted the idiom that peace and security are the fundamental pillars upon which other societal developments are built. Security brings peace, harmony, and love, and enables people to be productive, efficient, and effective in their daily lives. Security is expensive; it requires heavy investment in finance, human resources, and infrastructure, but it is still cheaper than insecurity. Insecurity is so expensive that you may be lucky to end up with your life or on a hospital bed. That is why when you are unfortunate to face the arduous task of choosing between your money or your life, you would soon realize you have but only one choice- your life and are ready to surrender any worldly materials. “Your money or your life” criminals are the old-time armed robbers, “beautiful” saints to today’s bandits, whose violent antics have...

 Nigerian Looming and Preventable Flood: Can the Narrative be Changed? By Prof. M. K. Othman   In Nigeria, flooding is the most imminent preventable disaster, occurring annually with dire consequences, including the loss of life and property across several communities nationwide. The statistics over the last five years (2021-2025) are alarming and underscore the urgent need for stronger prevention. In 2021, 27 states were affected, with thousands of hectares of farmland destroyed. In 2022, the worst floods in a decade occurred, destroying 305,400 houses and 569,000 hectares of farmland across 35 states, valued at $6.68 billion, equivalent to N9.352 trillion. In 2023, the National Bureau of Statistics estimated economic losses from flooding in Nigeria at approximately $9 billion, equivalent to N12.6 trillion. A combined analysis of 2024 and 2025 flood losses estimates losses at $9.5 billion (N13 trillion). According to World Bank and NEMA reports, the losses are estimated at $6...

 Northern Security Trust Fund: ₦1bn is a beginning, not the solution III. By Prof. M. K. Othman Northern Nigeria, home to millions of us, is rich in fertile farmland, abundant sunshine, youthful populations, strategic trade routes, and mineral resources. Yet it remains the least developed region, with massive abject poverty and a heavy dependence on Abuja to finance its future. Although this is a general Nigerian problem, its consequences are most visible in the North, where insecurity feeds directly on economic fragility. The central argument of this article is simple: the North cannot achieve lasting progress unless security and development are squarely addressed together. Ordinary citizens should reasonably expect much from this new Fund. We have all become understandably skeptical after witnessing countless interventions announced with great optimism but implemented with little transparency. This Security Trust Fund cannot afford that fate, and the personalities involved cannot...

 Northern Security Trust Fund: ₦1 Billion Is a Beginning, Not the Solution II By Prof. M.K. Othman   This piece is a corollary to last week’s write-up, which posed several questions: What are the mandates of the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund? Will the Trust Fund end up similar to Trust Funds established a few decades ago without tangible results? Will the state governors fulfill their one-billion-naira monthly pledge? Answering these questions and offering recommendations to make the Trust Fund effective and sustainable are pertinent to the success of the high-integrity personalities who serve on the fund's board of trustees. These skilled personalities have a high capacity and are endowed with a wealth of experience from diverse backgrounds; it would be highly desirable for them to accomplish their assignment and uplift the region and the nation from the dreadful, nightmarish situation that insecurity has landed us in. The trustees' mandate is explicit and significant:...