VP Shettima: Turbo Engine with more Cylinders By Mfon Udott
A turbocharged engine with more cylinders (typically 6, 8, or more) is generally designed for high performance, luxury, or heavy-duty towing, balancing smooth, consistent power delivery with immense torque. It provides extra power and improved performance without sacrificing fuel efficiency.
Vice President Kashim Shettima fits the description of this high-powered engine, with the intellect of brilliant all-rounder. He is a man for all seasons. The phrase, “a man for all seasons,” popularized in the historical drama by Robert Bolt, was originally borrowed from Robert Whittington to describe Thomas More as possessing “an angel’s wit and singular learning.” Indeed, the expression aptly captures Senator Shettima’s versatility and the depth with which he handles the duties assigned to him by his boss, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
From which ever angle one chooses to look at him, the imaged that is captured is a man who fits every occasion perfectly—whether as a farmer, a banker, or a politician. As a farmer, drawing from his academic background as an agricultural economist with a master’s degree from the University of Ibadan, Vice President Shettima has consistently advocated the modernization of agriculture as a pathway to Nigeria’s food security and economic growth. To support this vision, he initiated several government programmes, including a private Foundation, aimed at developing the sector and restoring agriculture as the mainstay of the Nigerian economy.
The Back-to-Farm initiative he established has helped many displaced farmers return to their lands, providing them with access to capital. The initiative further supports farmers with farm inputs such as fertilizers, seedlings, and other facilities that promote his climate-smart agriculture philosophy.
In addition, the Kashim Shettima Foundation Agricultural Empowerment Scheme has eased the difficulties faced by farmers in Nigeria, especially in the North-East. The initiative, launched by the Vice President himself in March 2024, supports President Tinubu’s food security drive. Launched in Kaduna, the scheme provides farmers with tractors, seeds, fertilizers, and herbicides for the 2024 farming season to boost productivity. Beyond inputs, the initiative provides technical guidance, extension services, and training in good agronomic practises.
In 1993, Senator Shettima had ventured into the banking sector, working at the Commercial Bank of Africa and the African International Bank as Deputy Manager, among other senior positions, before eventually becoming a General Manager at Zenith Bank.
A brilliant orator capable of holding his audience spellbound, Shettima is known for persuasive and highly intellectual speeches that inspire listeners on any occasion. His carefully chosen words are often shrouded in wisdom that inspires his audience.
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As Governor of Borno State for eight years, Senator Shettima engaged with people of different backgrounds and shades of opinion. Governing a state in the North-East plagued by insurgency, he demonstrated a remarkable ability to rebuild and harness opportunities—qualities that are lacking in many leaders of our time. As an astute gentleman and nation builder, he recognizes that one of Nigeria’s greatest natural endowments is its youth.
Over the years, the Vice President has been at the forefront of advocating capacity building for young people, whom he considers the future leaders. Recently, at the launch of the first Abuja Dialogue organized by the Office of the Vice President and the Lagos State Government, Vice President Shettima reiterated his belief in Nigerian youth by calling for a deliberate and forward-looking framework for youth leadership development.
Noting that Nigeria is “one of the youngest nations on earth,” he cautioned that this fact should not be treated merely as a talking point for conferences or a statistic for brochures. Rather, he said it was a national reality with profound consequences. According to him, Nigeria’s future will depend not merely on the abundance of its natural resources or the ambition of government programmes, but on the systems built to sustain leadership continuity and national development.
While emphasising the need for gradual pathways through which young Nigerians can assume responsibility, he stressed that youth leadership must be understood clearly. It is not a ceremonial handover waiting for age to perform its arithmetic. Instead, it is a structured process through which young men and women are prepared, trusted, integrated, and supported within the institutions that shape the nation’s future.
Demonstrating his characteristic agility and energy, the Vice President received a standing ovation while buoyantly jogging to the podium, demonstrating the vigour and dynamism of youth at the helm of leadership and decision-making. It was a symbolic of the notion that youthfulness is a thing of the mind and not age.
Speaking further, the VP urged young Nigerians to approach the future with discipline, preparation, and a clear sense of national purpose. According to him, “the country we aspire to will not be handed to us complete. It will be built by men and women who understand that excellence is a duty, not an ornament.”
To maximize this opportunity, he advised Nigerian youths to prepare themselves, demonstrate competence, and shun mediocrity. He said it was time to develop the capacities and skills necessary to contribute meaningfully to leadership, governance, and economic development. He identified selfishness as a great enemy, as it breeds the monumental corruption that has weakened Nigeria over the decades.
The Vice President encouraged young people to reject thuggery and hooliganism. In his thinking, the youth must not allow themselves to be used for insurgency, farmer-herder clashes, or ethno-religious conflicts. Now is the time to build the Nigerian bridge—not with bricks and mortar, but with the strongest material of all: the collective will of Nigerians to excel. It is a bridge that connects us across tribes, ethnicities, and dialects; across religions and politics; and across nations of the world. It is a bridge that builds a nation where peace, unity, and progress will reign.
