What Young Nigerians Can Learn From Kashim Shettima at 60

Kashim Shettima’s path from banker to governor, senator and Nigeria’s vice president is presented as a practical lesson for young people turning ambition into public leadership. As he turns 60, the former two-term Borno governor’s career offers an example of how education, skills and adaptability can build opportunities over time.

Shettima studied Agricultural Economics at the University of Maiduguri and later earned a master’s degree from the University of Ibadan. He then worked in banking, including at Commercial Bank of Africa, African International Bank and Zenith Bank, where he became general manager of the Maiduguri branch at a relatively young age.

The lesson, according to the column, is not to expect a first job, salary or opportunity to provide immediate recognition. Each experience can become a foundation for something larger. Shettima’s banking years exposed him to financial management, corporate discipline, leadership, networking and the private sector, all of which later supported his work in politics and government.

The column places particular emphasis on Shettima’s years as Borno governor from 2011 to 2019, when Boko Haram’s insurgency reached its peak. Schools closed, communities were displaced and internally displaced persons camps became a defining part of life in the state. Shettima remained in Borno instead of abandoning the population, worked to rebuild schools and promoted education as a tool against extremism.

That record is used to make a broader point: leadership becomes visible when circumstances turn difficult. Shettima’s movement between banking and public office also illustrates the need to reinvent oneself, learn new environments and work with different groups, from business and finance to farmers, rural communities and people displaced by conflict.