Kashim Shettima

Kashim Shettima Mustapha (born 2 September 1966) is a Nigerian politician who is the 15th and current vice president of Nigeria. He previously served as senator for Borno Central from 2019 to 2023, and as the governor of Borno State from 2011 to 2019.

Born in Maiduguri in 1966, Shettima attended the University of Maiduguri and the University of Ibadan. After schooling, he entered business and banking, eventually rising to hold several high-ranking executive positions at banks. By the mid-2000s, Shettima was the manager of Zenith Bank's Maiduguri branch before leaving the position to enter the state cabinet of Governor Ali Modu Sheriff in 2007. After four (4) years in the cabinet, he was elected governor in 2011 and re-elected by a wider margin in 2015; his term in office was dominated by the deadly Boko Haram insurgency. Shettima left office in 2019, and was elected to the senate. After winning primary for Senate election in 2022, he withdrew from the nomination to become Bola Tinubu's running mate. Kaka-Shehu Lawan replaced him as the senate nominee.

Early life

Kashim Shettima was born into the family of Shettima Mustafa Kuttayibe on 2 September 1966 in Maiduguri, Northern Region. He is married to Nana Shettima, and they have three children.

Shettima attended Lamisula Primary School in Maiduguri from 1972 to 1978 and then went to the Government Secondary School, Biu in southern part of Borno State from 1978 to 1980. Eventually, he transferred to Government Science Secondary School, Potiskum (now in neighbouring Yobe State) where he completed his secondary education in 1983. He studied at the University of Maiduguri and earned a Degree (BSc) in Agricultural Economics in 1989. He had his one-year compulsory membership of the National Youths Service Corps, or NYSC, at the defunct Nigerian Agricultural Cooperative Bank, Calabar, capital of Cross River State in South-South, Nigeria, from 1989 to 1990. He then obtained a master's degree (MSc) in Agricultural Economics in 1991 at the University of Ibadan in Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria. After graduating, Shettima worked at the University of Maiduguri as a lecturer with the Department of Agricultural Economics and was in the academia from 1991 to 1993.

Early career

In 1993, he moved into the banking sector and was employed by (now defunct) Commercial Bank of Africa Limited as head of accounts unit at the bank's office in Ikeja, Lagos State. Shettima was there from 1993 to 1997. In 1997, he crossed over to the African International Bank Limited as a Deputy Manager and rose to become a Manager in 2001. In 2001, he moved to the Zenith Bank as head of its main branch in Maiduguri. At the Zenith Bank, he rose to Senior Manager/Branch Head; Assistant General Manager (AGM)/Zonal Head (North-East), Deputy General Manager/Zonal Head ( North-East) before he stepped out of the Zenith Bank as a General Manager in 2007 following his appointment as Commissioner for Finance in Borno State.

Shettima worked with the Commercial Bank of Africa as an Agricultural Economist at its Ikeja Office, Lagos State (1993–1997). He then became a deputy manager, later manager, at the African International Bank Limited, Kaduna Branch (1997–2001), and was appointed Deputy Manager/Branch Head of the Zenith Bank's Maiduguri Office in 2001, becoming General Manager five years later. In mid-2007, Shettima was appointed Commissioner of the Borno State Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. Later he would become Commissioner in the Ministries of Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs, Education, Agriculture and later Health under his predecessor as Borno Governor Ali Modu Sheriff.

Political career

From 2007 to 2011, he served as a state commissioner in five ministries. In the January 2011 ANPP primaries, Engineer Modu Fannami Gubio was selected as candidate for the governorship. However, Gubio was later shot dead by gunmen, and Shettima was selected in a second primary in February 2011.

In the 26 April 2011 elections, Shettima won with 531,147 votes while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Muhammed Goni, gained 450,140 votes.

In February 2019, he became the winner of the Borno Central Senatorial District election, thereby replacing Senator Babakaka Bashir.

Vice Presidency (2023–present)

On 1 March 2023, Bola Tinubu was declared as the winner of the 2023 Nigerian presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Thus, Shettima became the Vice President-elect of Nigeria.

Shettima assumed office after taking the oath of office on 29 May 2023 at the Eagle Square, Abuja. As the vice president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he is expected to oversee the economic planning team and report as well as make recommendations to the president who takes the final decision.

At the inaugural North West Peace & Security Summit held in Katsina on 24 June 2024, Shettima addressed the regional establishment, condemning an alleged plan by the Sokoto state government to depose the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa'adu Abubakar IV, who is a third-generation direct descendant of Qadiri mujaddid Uthman dan-Fodio. The Sokoto government later denied it was planning to effect the removal of the sultan.

On 24 September 2024, Shettima delivered a speech at the General debate of the seventy-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly, deputising for Bola Tinubu. The speech speak focused on affirming the two-state solution, a suggested solution to the Israeli-Palestinian protracted conflict.

Honours

* :
** Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) (25 May 2023)

See also

* List of governors of Borno State

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shettima, Kashim
1966 births
Living people
Nigerian Muslims
Governors of Borno State
All Progressives Congress state governors of Nigeria
Nigerian agriculturalists
University of Ibadan alumni
University of Maiduguri alumni
Academic staff of the University of Maiduguri
Grand Commanders of the Order of the Niger
Members of the 9th National Assembly (Nigeria)
Senators of the 9th National Assembly (Nigeria)