Hadiza Dawaiya Shagari, also known as Hadiza Shehu Shagari (1940/41 – 12 August 2021) was a Nigerian public figure, former

First Lady of Nigeria The first lady of Nigeria is an informal, but accepted title, held by the wife of the president of Nigeria. The current First Lady, first lady is Oluremi Tinubu who has held the title since 29 May 2023. The Constitution of Nigeria does not creat ...

from 1979 to 1983, and widow of

Shehu Shagari Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari (; 25 February 1925 – 28 December 2018) was a Nigerian politician who was the first democratically elected president of Nigeria, after the transfer of power by Military Head of State of Nigeria, military head of sta ...

. Together with Shehu Shagari's other two wives, Hadiza Shagari served as First Lady of Nigeria when her husband assumed the

presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...

from 1 October 1979 to 31 December 1983.

Biography

Hadiza Dawaiya met her husband, Shehu Shagari, while he was working as a visiting teacher and Federal Scholarship Board member in Sokoto province (present-day

Sokoto State Sokoto ( Hausa: ; Fula: , ''Leydi Sokoto'') is one of the 36 states of Nigeria, located in the extreme northwest of the country. It is bounded by Republic of the Niger to the north and west for 363 km (226 miles), and the states of Zamf ...

). They married in 1957. Hadiza Shagari died from complications of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

at the Gwagwalada Isolation Center in

Abuja Abuja (; , ) is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, strategically situated at the geographic midpoint of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory (FCT). As the seat of the Federal G ...

at approximately 3 a.m. on 12 August 2021. She was 80 years old. Her funeral was held at the

Abuja National Mosque The Abuja National Mosque (), also known as the Nigerian National Mosque, is the national mosque of Nigeria. The mosque was built in 1984 and is open to the non-Muslim public, except during congregational prayers. Board and Management After the ...

on 12 August at 4 p.m. Her husband, former President Shehu Shagari, died in 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shagari, Hadiza 1940s births Date of birth missing Year of birth uncertain Place of birth missing 2021 deaths First ladies of Nigeria Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria