Who is Shehu Shagari?

Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari GCFR , Turakin
Sakkwato (February 25,
1925 – December 28, 2018 was a
Nigerian politician who served as the first and
only President of Nigeria 's Second Republic
(1979–1983), after the handover of power to General Olusegun Obasanjo 's military
government. Shagari also served seven times in
a ministerial or cabinet post as a federal
minister and federal commissioner from 1958–1975. Is a northerner of Fulani extraction and holds the aristocratic title of Turakin Sakkwato in the Sokoto Caliphate. He
worked as a teacher for a brief period
before entering politics in 1954 upon
his election to the federal House of
Representatives.

Shagari was made the Turaki of the Fula Sokoto
Caliphate in 1962 by the Sultan of Sokoto Siddiq
Abubakar III . Turaki means an officer at court, in
this case referring to the sultan's court at the
palace of Sokoto. In addition, he held the
chieftaincy titles of the Ochiebuzo of Ogbaland,
the Ezediale of Aboucha and the Baba Korede of
Ado Ekiti.
He worked as a teacher for a brief period before
entering politics in 1951 and in 1954 was
elected to the federal House of Representatives.

Early life
Shehu Usman Shagari was born in 1925 in the
northern Shagari village founded by his great-
grandfather, Ahmadu Rufa'i, who was also the
Village Head, and took the name Shagari as his
family name. His father's name is Aliyu and his
mother's name is Mariamu.
His name, Usman, means "companion". He was raised in a polygamous family, and was the
sixth child born into the family. Prior to
becoming Magajin Shagari (magajin means
village head), Aliyu, Shehu's father was a farmer,
trader and herder. However, due to traditional
rites that prevented rulers from participating in
business, Aliyu relinquished some of his trading
interest when he became the Magaji, or village
head, of Shagari village. Aliyu died five years
after Shehu's birth, and Shehu's elder brother,
Bello, briefly took on his father's mantle as
Magajin Shagari.
Shagari started his education in a Quranic
school and then went to live with relatives at a
nearby town, where from 1931-1935 he attended
Yabo elementary school. In 1936-1940, he went
to Sokoto for middle school, and then from
1941-1944 he attended Kaduna College.

Teaching career
Between 1944 and 1952, Shehu Shagari,
matriculated at the Teachers Training College, in
Zaria , Kaduna , Nigeria. From 1953-1958, Shagari
got a job as a visiting teacher at Sokoto
Province. He was also a member of the Federal
Scholarship Board from 1954-1958.

Political career
Shehu Usman Shagari entered politics in 1951,
when he became the secretary of the Northern
People’s Congress in Sokoto, Nigeria, a position
he held until 1956.
In 1954, Shehu Shagari was elected into his first
public office as a member of the federal House
of Representative for Sokoto west. In 1958,
Shagari was appointed as parliamentary
secretary (he left the post in 1959) to the
Nigerian Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa
Balewa and that year he also served as the
Federal Minister for commerce and Industries.
From 1959 to 1960, Shagari was redeployed to
the ministry for economic development, as the
Federal Minister for Economic Development.
From 1960 to 1962, he was moved to the
Pensions ministry as the Federal Minister for
Pensions. From 1962-1965, Shagari was made
the Federal minister for internal affairs. From
1965 up until the first military coup in January
1966, Shagari was the Federal minister for
works.
In 1967 he was appointed as the secretary for
Sokoto province education development fund.
From 1968-1969, Shagari was given a state
position in the North Western State as
commissioner for establishments.
Following the Nigerian civil war, from 1970 to
1971, Shagari was appointed by the military
head of state General Yakubu Gowon as the
federal commissioner for economic development,
rehabilitation and reconstruction.
From 1971 to 1975 he served as the Federal
commissioner (position now called minister) of
finance. During his tenure as the commissioner
of finance for Nigeria, Shagari was also a
governor for the World Bank and a member of
the International Monetary Fund (IMF) committee
of twenty.
In 1978, Shehu Shagari was a founding member
of the National Party of Nigeria. In 1979 Shagari
was chosen by the party as the presidential
candidate for general election that year, which
he won becoming the president and head of
state of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Shagari ran for a second four-year term in 1983
and won the general election, however, on 31
December 1983, Shagari was overthrown by
major general Muhammadu Buhari.

Presidency
Shagari is greeted by BGEN Archer
Durham upon his arrival for a visit.
Location: Andrews Air Force Base ,
Maryland , United States
Shagari won the 1979 election with the help of
his campaign manager, Umaru Dikko . The
campaign had the support of many prominent
politicians in the North and among southern
minorities. The party's motto was "One Nation,
One Destiny" and was seen as the party best
representing Nigeria's diversity.
Seal of the President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria

Oil boom
During the oil boom, Shagari made Housing,
Industries, Transportation and Agriculture the
major goals of his administration. In
transportation, he launched some road networks
across the country. He also initiated a program
to foster the use of mechanical machinery in
farming. This initiative favored large scale
farmers in order to produce mass products.
Shagari also created a low cost housing scheme.
In 1980, with the oil revenue, Shagari finished
building the Kaduna refinery, which started
operating that year. Also with the oil revenue,
Shagari concluded the construction of an
additional steel plant and three rolling mills at
Ajaokuta . Shagari completed the Delta Steel
complex in 1982. In 1983, Shagari created the
Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria at Ikot
Abasi . However, Shagari reduced the share of oil
royalties and rents to state of origin from 30 to
2 percent.

Green Revolution
Shagari's government embarked on a " Green
Revolution ", distributing seed and fertilliser to
farmers to increase nationwide productivity in
farming.
Fall in oil prices, end of the Oil
boom
The fall in oil prices that began in 1981 affected
the finances of the Nigerian government. Shagari
initiated an Economic Stabilization Program to
help protect the country against a hard landing
from prior highs of the 1970s and to steer the
economy towards positive growth. Key
objectives of the program were to limit import
licenses, reduce government spending and raise
custom duties. However, the result from the
stabilization program was minimal.
Overthrown in a military
coup on 31 December
1983
The Shagari administration was plagued by
allegations of corruption, including allegations of
electoral fraud in the 1983 election. This,
coupled with a decline in world oil prices, and a
deterioration in the national finances, hardship,
lead to the regime becoming deeply unpopular
with citizens. Shagari was overthrown by General
Muhammadu Buhari in a military coup on
December 31, 1983.

Personal life
Shehu Shagari married three wives: Amina,
Aishatu, Hadiza Shagari. [4] He has many
children. However, His most visible children are
Captain Muhammad Bala Shagari Rtd. and
Aminu Shehu Shagari.
On 24 August 2001, his wife, Aisha Shagari, died
in a London hospital following a brief illness.
Shehu Shagari died on 28h December 2018, at
1:30PM (WAT) at the National Hospital in Abuja
at the age of 93.