Kashim Shettima graduated from 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 office before leaving the
position to enter the state cabinet of Governor Ali Modu Sheriff in 2007.
After four 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 was later elected to the Senate.
Despite being renominated for Senate in 2023, he withdrew from the nomination to
become Tinubu’s running mate. Kaka-Shehu Lawan replaced him as the senate
nominee.
From 2007 to 2011, he served as Commissioner in 5 Ministries. In January 2011
ANPP primaries, Engineer Modu Fannami Gubio was selected as the candidate for the
governorship. However, Shettima was selected in a second primary in February
2011.
In the 26 April 2011 elections, Shettima won with 531,147 votes while the
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Muhammed Goni, gained 450,140 votes.
Shettima emerged the 2014 Governor of the Year (Leadership, Governor of the Year,
2015, (Nigeria Union of Journalists, national body); Governor of the Year, 2015
(NewsWatchTimes n); Governor of the Year, 2015 (Vanguard newspapers); Governor of
the Year, 2016 (Tell magazine; 2017 Zik Prize for Leadership; Kaduna NUJ Award
for courage and exceptional leadership (2017), FCT NUJ Merit Award for
exceptional Leadership, 2017.
In February 2019 he became the winner of the Borno Central Senatorial District
election, thereby replacing Senator Babakaka Bashir and now the APC Presidential
candidate running mate.
