“Nature's Gift to the Nation”
- Capital
- Jalingo
- Created
- 27 August 1991
- Population
- 3,609,800 2022 estimate
- LGAs
- 16
His Excellency
Agbu Kefas
Executive Governor of Taraba State
All Progressives Congress North-East
- In office since
- 29 May 2023
- Term
- 1st term
- Term ends
- May 2027
- Deputy
- Aminu Abdullahi Alkali
Biography
Agbu Kefas (born 12 November 1970) is a Nigerian politician and retired army lieutenant colonel who has served as Governor of Taraba State since 29 May 2023. Born in Wukari, he is a younger brother of the late Air Commodore Ibrahim Kefas, and was educated at the Nigerian Defence Academy, the University of Ibadan and Delta State University.
After his military career he chaired the NIMASA board and served on the Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiative before becoming PDP state chairman in 2020. He won the PDP governorship primary in 2022 and the March 2023 election, defeating Muhammad Yahaya of the NNPP.
His administration has emphasised free and compulsory basic education, rehabilitation of schools and hospitals, rural roads and youth empowerment. Following the defection of the Speaker and most members of the state assembly, Kefas formally left the PDP for the All Progressives Congress on 31 January 2026. He is in his first term, which ends in May 2027; governorship elections are scheduled for 6 February 2027. His deputy, Aminu Alkali, has been on prolonged medical leave since late 2024.
Career before office
Kefas served 21 years in the Nigerian Army, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. He chaired the governing board of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) from 2013 to 2015 and was a member of the Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiative (2016–2019). In 2020 he became Taraba State chairman of the PDP.
Key initiatives in office
- Declaration of free and compulsory basic education in Taraba State
- School Infrastructure Renewal Project rehabilitating classrooms, hostels and libraries in Jalingo, Wukari, Mutum Biyu and Sardauna
- Senate building complex and facility rehabilitation at Taraba State University
- Renovation of the State Specialist Hospital, Jalingo, and upgrades of Donga and Bali hospitals
- N500 million youth empowerment scheme (2026)
Education
- BSc Political Science and Defence Studies, Nigerian Defence Academy (1994)
- MSc Legal Criminology and Security Psychology, University of Ibadan (2005)
- Master of Public Administration, Delta State University, Abraka (2008)
- Executive Education certificate in National and International Security, Harvard Kennedy School
Taraba State at a glance
North-East
Other governors in the zone
Gombe State
Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya
Adamawa State
Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri
Bauchi State
Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed
Borno State