Kashim Shettima said in an interview with Daily Trust newspaper: “For me as a person, I should be ever grateful to God. I’m one of the luckiest members of my generation. I became a governor after only four years in politics, not because of my intellectual acumen.”
Shettima, who was born on September 2, 1966, in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, will dwell in Aguda House for the next four years as Nigeria’s vice president. The 57-year-old began his professional career as a college lecturer. Later, he worked as a banker until he left in 2007 to enter politics.
From 1972 until 1978, he went to Lamisula Primary School in Maiduguri. He began his secondary education in 1978 at the Government Community Secondary School in Biu, in the southern region of Borno State, and finished it in 1980 at the Government Science Secondary School in Potiskum.
At the Universities of Maiduguri and Ibadan, Shettima earned his first and second degrees in Agricultural Economics, respectively.
Shettima worked at the Nigerian Agricultural Cooperative Bank in Cross River State as a youth corp member after earning his first degree in 1989. Returning to Maiduguri, he began giving lectures at the university there and continued doing so until 1993.
Kashim Shettima: His banking years
After Shettima graduated from college, he rejoined the Commercial Bank of Africa and was appointed Head of Accounts in Lagos. He began working for the Kaduna branch of the African International Bank in 1997 as the deputy manager before becoming the bank manager.
He joined Zenith Bank in 2001, where he worked for six years. He progressed from being the senior manager of the bank’s main branch in Maiduguri. Additionally, he was appointed the Northeast’s Zonal Head (Assistant General Manager). In 2007, after being named commissioner by the then-governor of Borno, Ali Modu-Sheriff, he departed the bank as a general manager.
After serving in four other ministries, including Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Education, Agriculture, and Health, Kashim Shettima was initially appointed the Commissioner of Finance and Economic Development.
After Mr Shettima left the university, he returned to the Commercial Bank of Africa and was posted to Lagos as the Head of Accounts. In 1997, he joined the African International Bank in Kaduna as deputy manager and rose to the position of bank manager.
Accidental governor
Without intending to, Kashim Shettima rose to the position of governor. He was appointed as a successor when Boko Haram militants shot and killed Modu Fannami-Gubio, the All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) governorship candidate, in January 2011.
As soon as he became Gubio’s successor, he was accused of planning the assassination of the deceased candidate. However, the accusation did not prevent him from winning the governorship.
Even after Fannami-Gubio’s first term in office, the accusation of involvement in his death persisted. He vehemently denied being involved in the killing.
The 2014 kidnapping of 276 students from the Government Secondary School in Chibok nearly cost Shettima his honour. Shettima allegedly planned the kidnapping to aid his new party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in winning the election, according to the president at the time, Goodluck Jonathan, and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Kashim Shettima was also accused of failing to contact Jonathan a number of times to discuss security-related matters. The former governor, however, argued that the president should be contacting the governors of states dealing with instability.
Kashim Shettima and Controversies
He ran for and won the Senate seat for Borno Central District at the end of his term. He was chosen to be Bola Tinubu’s running mate for the APC’s presidential nomination on July 20, 2022.
Many people were startled by Bola Tinubu’s pick of Shettima, but the former governor has always been a “Tinubu man”.
“My pick of Shettima is motivated by the urgent need to confront the problems the nation is currently facing, and Shettima has demonstrated excellent leadership qualities while serving as governor of Borno State. I chose Shettima because I wanted a progressive government, Tinubu stated.
Senator to VP-elect
At the end of his tenure, he contested and won the election to represent Borno Central District in the Senate. On 20 July 2022, he was appointed the running mate of the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu.
Bola Tinubu’s choice of Mr Shettima surprised many people but the former governor has always been a “Tinubu man”.
“My choice of Shettima is borne out of the urgent need to address the challenges facing the country and Shettima possesses strong leadership abilities which he exhibited when he was the governor of Borno State. I wanted a progressive government that was why I selected Shettima,” Mr Tinubu said.
But many who are familiar with him well are aware that he is Tunubu’s close ally. In recognition of the former Lagos governor’s support for the APC in the state, he dedicated a housing development after him in 2017.
Into the Future
Nigeria’s administration is no small task. The vice president is likewise affected in this way. Shettima has undertaken a monumental mission, one that will require him to work tirelessly to complete.
