Shettima Mustafa (26 November 1939 – 17 November 2022) was a Nigerian academic and politician. After an early career in medicine, local administration, and media, Mustafa studied agriculture at university, eventually earning a Doctor of Philosophy degree. He became a commissioner in

Borno State Borno is a States of Nigeria, state in the North East (Nigeria), North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It is bordered by Yobe State, Yobe to the west, Gombe State, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa State, Adamawa to the south while its ea ...

and joined the

Nigerian People's Party {{Short description, Political party in the Nigerian Second Republic The Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP) was one of the major political parties that contested elections in the Nigerian Second Republic. The party was made up of three major groups: the ...

, becoming their vice-presidential candidate in 1983. He was jailed after the military coup of December 1983 led by

Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023. A retired Nigerian army major general, he was the military head of state of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 Augu ...

. After his release in 1985 he taught agriculture at the

University of Maiduguri The University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) is a Federal higher institution located in Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno State in Northeast Nigeria. The university was created by the federal government of Nigeria in 1975, with the intention of its ...

and became head of the

Jos Jos is a city in the North-Central region of Nigeria. The city has a population of about 900,000 residents based on the 2006 census. Popularly called "J-Town", it is the administrative capital and largest city of Plateau State. The city is situ ...

region of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. Mustafa served as Minister of Agriculture from 1990 to 1992, and in 2007 was appointed Minister of Defence in the cabinet of President

Umaru Yar'Adua Umaru Musa Yar'Adua (; 16 August 19515 May 2010) was a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2007 until his death in May 2010. He won the Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 Ma ...

. In 2008 he became Minister of the Interior but left office with the 2010 dissolution of the cabinet.

Background

Shettima Mustafa was born on 26 November 1939 in Nguru, now in

Yobe State Yobe is a States of Nigeria, state located in northeastern Nigeria. A mainly agricultural state, it was created on 27 August 1991. Yobe State was carved out of Borno State. The capital of Yobe State is Damaturu, and its largest city by populati ...

. He attended Borno middle school in

Maiduguri Maiduguri ( ) is the capital and the largest city of Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria, on the continent of Africa. The city sits along the seasonal Ngadda River which disappears into the ''Firki'' swamps in the areas around Lake Chad. Maid ...

(from 1946 to 1952, and trained as a medical field assistant in

Kano Kano may refer to: Places *Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria *Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State ** Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries ** Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom betwee ...

from 1955 to 1956. He worked in the Borno Native Administration from 1954 to 1964, and then with Radio Television Kaduna until 1967. At age 28, he was admitted into

Ahmadu Bello University The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) is a public research university located in Zaria, Nigeria, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. It was opened in 1962 as the University of Northern Nigeria. The university has four colleges, three schools, 18 faculties, ...

, graduating in 1972 and then working as a researcher with the university's Institute for Agricultural Research, from 1973 to 1974. He attended the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, where he earned a postgraduate diploma in applied biology. He continued to work towards a PhD, attending

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1978, and obtaining his PhD in 1979. He also completed a course in agricultural projects monitoring and evaluation at the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a Public university, public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus university, campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and twenty-six schools of ...

in 1990. Mustafa died on 17 November 2022, at age 82.

Public career

Shettima Mustafa was appointed a commissioner in the

government under Governor Mohammed Goni. He rose steadily in the political ranks and was vice-presidential candidate on the

platform in the 1983 election. However, the incumbent

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 ...

of the

National Party of Nigeria The National Party of Nigeria (NPN) was the dominant political party in Nigeria during the Second Republic (1979–1983). History Formation The party's beginning could be traced to private and sometimes secret meetings among key Northern Nigeri ...

(NPN) won the election. After the military coup of December 1983 in which Major General

came to power, he was jailed until 1985. On his release he returned to part-time teaching at the University of Maiduguri. He then became a regional head in

the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. In August 1990, Shettima Mustafa was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources, holding that post until the cabinet dissolved in 1992. Following this, he became an advisor to various local and international organisations, and became the national treasurer of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), a position he held between 1998 and 2001. He became a fellow of the Genetic Society of Nigeria, a member of the

American Society of Agronomy The American Society of Agronomy (ASA) is a scientific and professional society of agronomists and scientists of related disciplines, principally in the United States but with many non-U.S. members as well. About It was founded December 13, 190 ...

and a member of the Agricultural Society of Nigeria. He was chair of the Presidential Visitation Panel to the University of Agriculture in 1999, and chairman of

Savannah Bank The Savannah Bank is a Nigerian bank whose license was withdrawn in February 2002 and restored in February 2009 after protracted legal battles. An investor, International Resource Associates of London, bought 67.35% of the shares of Savannah Bank ...

from April 2000 to August 2001. In November 2000 Mustafa was appointed to the

Order of the Federal Republic The Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) is one of two orders of merit, established by the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1963. It is senior to the Order of the Niger. The highest honours are the Grand Commander in the Order of the Fede ...

. In 2002, Shettima Mustafa was nominated to the board of the

, although he was not a shareholder. By 2004 he was chairman of the Presidential National Tree Nursery Development Committee.

Yar'Adua Cabinet

Shettima Mustafa was appointed

Defence Minister of Nigeria Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

by President

. On 14 July 2008, he traded places with Godwin Abbe, becoming Minister of the Interior. He left office in March 2010 when Acting President

Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to former military head of state General Muhammadu Buhari and ...

dissolved his cabinet.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mustapha, Shettima 1939 births 2022 deaths Alumni of the University of Cambridge Interior ministers of Nigeria Defence ministers of Nigeria Nigerian People's Party politicians Peoples Democratic Party (Nigeria) politicians Ahmadu Bello University alumni Purdue University alumni People from Yobe State