Nigerian journalist and author penned a golden tribute to celebrate wife of Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, Hajiya Nana Shettima.
One evening in 2011, while on a phone call with her husband, I suddenly heard him say, “Aboki na ne, gaashi ku gaisa” (It’s my friend, take the phone so you can greet him). That was the first time I ever spoke with Hajia Nana Shettima, wife of Nigeria’s Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima
Today, as she marks her golden jubilee, I have found no better way to celebrate and appreciate her than by penning this tribute in her honour, for being not just a supportive wife to my dear friend and brother, but also a woman of strength and quiet impact.
For me, I see a striking resemblance, both in appearance and in grace, between Hajia Nana Shettima and Hajia Aisha Daggash, wife of another older brother of mine, Senator Sanusi Daggash, former Minister of Works and National Planning respectively. Like Hajia Aisha, Hajia Nana welcomes guests into their home with warmth and an infectious smile that leaves a lasting impression.
Ironically, while Hajia Aisha is my sister from Benue State, but married to an intelligent and cerebral Kanuri man, Hajia Nana is herself a Kanuri, also married to an equally cerebral and distinguished Kanuri man. I appreciate both families for the love, care, and unwavering support they have shown me since our paths crossed over two decades ago.
However, today is about Hajia Nana Shettima, a noble woman by every standard. Her love and compassion for orphans and the less privileged in Borno State earned her the revered title ‘Ummu-l-Miskin’ (Mother of the poor and needy). Remarkably, she has continued along this path of service and empathy since her husband became Nigeria’s Vice President two years ago.
Watching her work closely with the nation’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, reminds me of the supportive and impactful role she played as First Lady of Borno State from 2011 to 2019.
Hajia Nana belongs to that rare class of women who use power and influence positively. Her unwavering commitment to uplifting others and making a meaningful difference in the world is truly inspiring. As a wife, she remains a steadfast pillar of support, always present, especially in the moments her husband needs it most.
This brings to mind a particularly tense and disturbing incident that occurred in September 2014. At the time, Shettima as Borno Givernor had embarked on a scheduled trip to Sudan and the United Kingdom for assessment meetings with school authorities, where 70 Borno students on state sponsorship were studying medicine and geo-sciences. He had barely arrived at his first destination when news broke that Boko Haram insurgents had taken over Bama, one of the most populated towns in the state, located just about 70 kilometers from Maiduguri, the state capital.
There was tension everywhere, as fears mounted that Maiduguri, the seat of power, was also about to be overrun by the rampaging insurgents. In response to the worsening situation, Governor Shettima promptly cut short his trip and returned to Abuja, where he held strategic meetings on the Bama crisis. Among other urgent actions, he constituted a committee to coordinate and oversee the distribution of relief materials to victims of the attack.
Done with the meetings, Shettima announced his intention to return to Maiduguri, the next day, a move almost everyone around him, including this writer, kicked against. As someone close to him, I sought a private audience with him, where I tried unsuccessfully to persuade him from returning to Maiduguri the next day. I advised he should stay for a few more days in Abuja to observe and monitor the development before returning to Maiduguri. But he advanced strong arguments that left me shocked and speechless. He said, among other things, “Mallam Samaila, it is better for me to be killed, serving my people than for Maiduguri, with several internally-displaced persons, to fall to Boko Haram while I am away. That will amount to cowardice.”
Seeing his courage and determination to return, I prayed with him, and wished him well. By the next day, a day after he returned to Maiduguri, he addressed the citizens of the state through a state-wide broadcast and thereafter, moved round the city, the same way our security operatives carry out Show of Force, just to keep the spirit of the citizens alive, and to let them know he was not a runaway governor.
Before he left, he had pleaded with the wife to stay back in Abuja and prepare to care for their kids in case anything happened to him. To our surprise, Hajia Nana Shettima showed up in Maiduguri a day after the broadcast, apparently to demonstrate her willingness and readiness to go the whole hug with the husband in that emotionally trying time, no matter the cost.
Earlier, in the same year, precisely in April, shortly after the Chibok abduction, she traveled to Chibok by road from Maiduguri at a time Boko Haram insurgents were burying mines on the road. That courageous action made her the only woman in the corridors of power who dared to brave the dangers and visit Chibok by road at the time it was sacrilegious to do so.
While some other women might look forward to inheriting fortunes from their husbands, Hajia Nana Shettima showed courage over comfort. She has, time and again, proven herself to be not just a supportive wife, but an extraordinary woman of uncommon strength and character.
Born to the family of Customs Officer Alhaji Usman Alkali and Hajiya Maryam Abubakar Albashir on July 22, 1975 in Kano State, the Kanuri-born Hajia Nana is the third child of her father and the second child of her mother.
Like most kids back then, she began her education at the age of six at an Islamiyya School in Maiduguri. She combined both the Western and Islamic education when she got enrolled in Lamisula 1 Primary School in Maiduguri in 1982 and obtained her First School Leaving Certificate six years later.
She thereafter proceeded to the Government Girl’s College, Maiduguri from 1988 to 1993, and from there to the University of Maiduguri in 1997, where she obtained a B.A (Hons) in English Language. She got married to Kashim Shettima in 1998, and the marriage is blessed with three children. They are: Hajara, Amira, and Amir Shettima.
Hajiya Nana Shettima, may Allah’s love, favour, compassion, mercy, and blessings be upon you and your family today and forever. Amin. As I conclude this piece, I will leave Her Excellency with the words of wisdom from Engr. Dr. Taofeek Adekunle Abdul-Hameed, the rector of Federal Polytechnic, Ayede in Oyo State, who admonished us to remain humble as we celebrate, saying that life should be seen as a “divine test of gratitude and impact.“
He further said “God brought you into existence through the copulation of your parents; you are nothing before God made you exist. Many others turn 50 today, but not all are recognised. You are known because God wants to test you. If people see you as something, see yourself as nothing, for the day you assume to be someone, you prepare for downfall.
“Life is about making a positive impact. You will not always have your way, but the true purpose of living is to uplift others.”
Your Excellency, ma, Allah ya kara mi ki shekaru ma su albarka. Amin.
