Marafa Kabir Garba
Marafa Kabir Garba is a Nigerian politician from Zamfara State. They have contested 1 election (1 loss) across 1 party. Most recent: 2023 Nigerian Senate Elections as All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.
Biography
Kabir Garba Marafa is a Nigerian politician born on September 16, 1960, in Yandoton Daji, Birnin Yandoto Emirate, Tsafe Local Government, Zamfara State. He served as Senator for Zamfara Central from 2011 to 2019 under the umbrella of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Marafa was Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources Upstream in the 7th Assembly, he became the Chairman of the Senate Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources in the 8th Assembly, and was a member of many other committees. He sponsored the Petroleum Industry Bill. In August 2025, he lobbied vigorously for the creation of the Presidential Initiative on Zamfara State (PIZAMS).
Marafa contributed significantly to the establishment of Federal University Gusau and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) office in Gusau. In August 2025, Marafa resigned from the APC, and on 8 April 2026 he joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Senator Marafa is the great-grandson of Mal Sambo Dan Ashafa, the founder of Gusau. He was born into the family of Alhaji Garba Gusau Marafan Yandoton-Daji (District Head of Yandoton-Daji).
Attended Yandoton-Daji Islamiya School, attended LEA Primary School Yandoton Daji, and later Government Secondary Technical School in Gusau. Graduated with a National Diploma and Higher National Diploma in Chemical Engineering from Kaduna Polytechnic. Completed a Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations and Diplomacy from Kaduna Polytechnic. Awarded an Executive Certificate in Public Leadership from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Massachusetts, USA, in 2019.
Marafa served as Commissioner for Water Resources and Education in Zamfara State. Elected Senator for Zamfara Central in 2011 and re-elected in 2015. Chaired the Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream. Served as Zamfara State Coordinator for the Tinubu/Shattima Presidential Campaign in 2023. Held the position of Chairman of the Governing Council of Federal College of Education in Yola.
He worked with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the Kaduna Refining and Petroleum Company (KRPC) as a process engineer. Marafa served as Senator representing Zamfara Central from 2011 to 2019 under the APC. He was the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources Upstream in the 7th Assembly and Chairman of the Senate Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources in the 8th Assembly.
Marafa played a significant role in sponsoring motions and bills, including the Petroleum Industry Bill, and lobbied for the creation of the Presidential Initiative on Zamfara State (PIZAMS). Senator Marafa contributed significantly to the establishment of Federal University Gusau and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) office in Gusau. He was conferred with the National Honor of Commander of the Order of Niger (CON) in 2014 and the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 2023. Bestowed the traditional title of 'Marafan Gusau' by the Emir of Gusau.
In 2018, Senator Marafa ran for the governorship nomination of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State but faced internal party conflicts. The APC was divided into factions: one under Marafa’s leadership and another led by then-Governor Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari. Each faction conducted its own primaries, leading to a dispute over legitimacy. INEC recognized Yari’s faction, but Marafa argued that the primaries were flawed. His case was taken to the Supreme Court, which ruled in his favor on May 24, 2019, invalidating the primaries and APC candidates in Zamfara for the 2019 elections.
Political Career
Party Positions
Policy positions from the All Progressives Congress (APC) party manifesto.
Agriculture
Launches the Irrigate Nigeria Project as a public-private partnership to develop small-scale irrigation and water catchment systems using modern technology to boost agricultural productivity.
Security & Defense
Will deploy modern aerial surveillance and advanced technology to monitor and deter intrusions into oil pipelines, power stations, and other critical national infrastructure in real time.
Environment & Climate
Accelerates the environmental cleanup and re-establishment of fisheries and profitable aquacultural activities in the Niger-Delta region to counter violent extremism and poverty-driven disaffection.
Economy & Trade
Will implement the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and additional favorable policies to attract investment in deep-water assets within 6 months, including encouraging signature bonus negotiations and royalty reliefs.
Infrastructure
Creates regional industrial hubs in specific zones (North West, North East, South East, South South, South West, North Central) to focus on labor-intensive manufacturing, with tailored investments (e.g., textiles, dry ports, glass, pottery, solid minerals, regulated mining).
Enterprise grant support
Work with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to simplify loan processes for commercial banks, mandate federally owned banks to provide low-cost loans to youth-led enterprises, and expand business incubation centers to support youth innovation.
Energy
Will mandate gas metering equipment on all facilities where gas flaring occurs within 6 months and establish a special enforcement unit to monitor compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) on gas flaring reduction, with non-compliance leading to financial penalties for affected communities.
Governance & Reform
Reserve at least 3 cabinet positions for individuals under 40 and 6 more positions for members under the age of 40, and mandate that at least 20% of political appointments to Ministries/Dangomas (MDAs) be reserved for individuals under 40.
Education
Raises the priority of addressing out-of-school children, establishes a task force to review and strengthen programs like school feeding, and aims to reduce disaffected youth recruitment by violent groups.
Healthcare
Will establish a network of upgraded, equipped, and staffed general hospitals in every Local Government Area, tertiary facilities in each State, and world-class specialist hospitals in each geo-political zone to improve healthcare accessibility and quality.
Technology & Digital
Supports the development of MSMEs through partnerships with fintech players to expand access to capital and business development services.
Reliefs and scholarships
Commits to a conditional income support program requiring recipients to meet human capital goals (school attendance, healthcare, nutrition) in exchange for payments.
Other Candidates in Zamfara
Sources
Bio, Photo, State of Origin: Wikipedia ↗
Date of Birth: Wikidata ↗