Early in 2007, when RFI Hausa was about to be launched, my boss, Lanni Smith of blessed memory, tasked me with getting a versatile journalist who could cover Abuja for us. For me, it was a daunting task. Not because there were no journalists with a Hausa background who could do the job as we required, but because getting the best who could be our eyes and ears everywhere in the city, as well as cover Villa, the seat of government, was challenging.
As an ardent newspaper reader, Muhammad Kabir Yusuf’s name, who then reported for The Triumph Newspapers in Kano, kept ringing a bell in my mind, but my fears were that he was deep into newspaper reportage, and I didn’t know whether he would agree to make a switch or combine the two together.
I was lucky to obtain his contact from a friend and sent him a short message, introducing myself and requesting to have a conversation with him. That evening he responded, and he instantly agreed to be our correspondent in Abuja. He was indeed the first to be engaged as an RFI Hausa correspondent and eventually became a household name among our listeners.
Kabir combined the two jobs, reporting for both Triumph and RFI Hausa for some time, before he eventually quit the former to concentrate fully on RFI because of the job demands.
I can authoritatively say we had an asset in Kabir Yusuf, not only for RFI Hausa but for our other sister services too, following the testimonies we received from many journalists within the France Media Monde, RFI, and France 24, who had contact with him.
Kabir was a hardworking journalist who never said NO to our demands in the course of our job. He was humble to a fault and NEVER complained. Even though he was older than many of us, his response to us was always, ‘Yes Sir, it’s alright. No problem. I’ll do that.’
Having covered the Villa for over two decades, he always had a nose for news and many contacts to reach out to for balance and confirmation.
He singlehandedly covered Abuja for us during the tenure of Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua before we later transferred the late Aminu Ahmed Manu from Jos to join him and, much later, engaged Muhammed Sani Abubakar to beef up the bureau. He was also around during the tenures of Presidents Goodluck Jonathan, Muhammadu Buhari, and the current leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
On April 19, the deceased, alongside his BBC colleague Haruna Tangaza, visited us in our Lagos office, where we chatted and even took pictures, not knowing that would be our last meeting.
He was among the millions of Muslim faithful who performed the last Hajj rites in Saudi Arabia. While in Madina, he told Uwais Abubakar, his confidant, that he might not live long and would be glad to die in the city. He proceeded by writing a Will and handed it over to him.
However, on returning to Nigeria, five days later, he answered the call in Kano, a day after participating in a virtual meeting with the RFI Hausa Coordinator and some of his colleagues.
We were indeed shocked and devastated last Tuesday when news filtered in early morning that he had passed on. His colleague and close associate, Uwais Abubakar Idris of DW Radio, called me early in the morning to break the news that Kabir’s phone status had changed. A notice was written that the owner of this phone has passed away. He tried to reach all his phone lines but it wasn’t possible, so he notified me. I also tried the same but was unsuccessful.
I immediately called the attention of our correspondents in Kano, Abubakar Isa Dandago and Abubakar Abdulkadir Dangambo, and instructed them to reach out to his house and verify the story. While they were on it, Uwais called back to inform me that Kabiru’s daughter had reached out to him with confirmation about his demise. That was the rude shock we had last week, a few months after losing another dedicated staff member, Mahaman Salissou Hamissou, in a road accident.
RFI Hausa has indeed lost another rare gem who represented the station in good light for the last 17 years. The kind of testimonies and messages we are receiving across Nigeria testify to the kind of person Kabiru was.
Among the early messages we received during this trying period was one sent by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through his spokesman Ajuri Ngalale, who described the deceased as a veteran journalist who covered the State House effectively for many years.
Former army spokesman, General Sani Usman Kukasheka (retired), said undoubtedly Alhaji Kabir will be greatly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing and benefiting from his insightful reporting because of his dedication to his craft and his unwavering commitment to truth and excellence, which made him a beacon of professionalism.
Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahya, praised Yusuf’s professionalism, saying his insightful reporting and commitment to truth were a source of pride for RFI and a vital part of the democratic fabric of the nation.
Sophie Bouillon, the immediate past Coordinator of RFI Hausa, and the new helmsman, Joseph Penny, both described Kabiru’s death as a colossal loss to the organization, while praying for his repose.
On behalf of all my colleagues here at RFI Hausa, we extend our condolences to his immediate family members and pray to Almighty Allah to forgive his shortcomings and grant him Aljannah Firdaus. Adieu, Kabir!
Bashir Ibrahim Idris is an Editor-in-Chief at Radio France International Hausa.