Shettima: Leaders Must Build Institutions That Outlive Their Tenure

* VP says governance should transcend elections 

* As Monguno, ex-NSA urges revival of Musa Usman’s development vision

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja 

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has challenged political leaders to look beyond electoral cycles and build strong institutions and policies capable of continuing to serve Nigerians long after they leave office.

Shettima gave the charge on Monday at the presentation of a book chronicling the life and legacy of Brigadier Musa Usman, the pioneer military governor of the former North-Eastern State.

The book, titled, ‘Service and Impact,’ is the biography of the late Usman, who was military governor of North-Eastern state from 1967 to 1975, was co-authored by Mallam Mahmud Jega and Dr. Theophilus Abbah.

Prominent Nigerians from the North-east geopolitical zone and other parts of Nigeria, including Governor Babangana Zulum; former Speaker Yakubu Dogara; General Ike Nwanchukwu (rtd); Mrs. Titi Atiku Abubakar, among others, graced the occasion.

The vice-president, who was represented at the event by his Special Adviser on General Duties, Aliyu Modibbo, said the quality of leadership should not be judged merely by what an administration accomplished while in office, but by the institutions, policies and development foundations it left behind.

He said: “We must build beyond the next elections and think beyond political boundaries. Leadership is measured by what continues to serve the people after the leader has left office.”

Shettima said the book presentation offered an opportunity to reflect on a generation of public servants who regarded political and public office as a responsibility to the people rather than an avenue for personal advancement.

He commended the authors, Jega and Dr Abbah, for documenting Musa Usman’s life and preserving the history of his administration, which, he said, continued to have visible impact across the North-east.

According to him, the former North-Eastern State, created in 1967, covered a vast and diverse territory that now comprises Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe States.

Shettima stressed that the region’s ethnic, religious, ecological and historical diversity made it imperative for governments to establish credible and inclusive institutions capable of giving every community a sense of belonging.

He pointed to the Musa Usman Secretariat in Maiduguri as one of the enduring monuments of the former governor’s administration, saying it symbolised the lasting value of purposeful governance.

The vice-president noted that successive administrations had built on foundations laid by their predecessors, urging contemporary leaders to sustain that tradition despite the complex challenges facing the North-east.

He listed reconstruction, agriculture, education, transportation, energy, industrialisation, employment, environmental restoration, peace and security among the areas requiring renewed commitment from leaders.

Shettima urged public officials to recover the spirit of purpose and service associated with earlier generations of Nigerian administrators and apply it to the country’s present development challenges.

Also speaking at the event, former National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, said Musa Usman’s contributions to national development remained relevant more than five decades after his tenure as governor of the former North-Eastern State.

Monguno recalled that Musa Usman assumed office at the age of 27 and inherited a vast territory with limited infrastructure, but devoted his eight-year tenure to laying foundations for economic and social development across the region.

He said the former North-Eastern State covered about 289,421 square kilometres and shared international borders with Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

Monguno said Musa Usman’s tenure was marked by a clear commitment to transforming the region into a major centre of national development.

“The eight years he served as military governor of the North-Eastern State were exemplified by a commitment to duty, a sense of purpose, and a relentlessness, fired by a desire to transform the North-East into one of the nerve centres for national development,” he said.

He listed the Ashaka Cement Company, Savannah Sugar Factory, North-East College of Arts and Science, Maiduguri Specialist Hospital and National Kidney Centre among projects associated with Musa Usman’s administration.

Monguno, however, singled out the establishment of the Chad Basin Development Authority as one of the former governor’s most significant legacies, describing it as evidence of his foresight on irrigation, agriculture, economic development and the future of the Lake Chad Basin.

He argued that Musa Usman had recognised early the danger posed by the degradation of the Lake Chad Basin and the consequences of abandoning development initiatives in the area.

According to Monguno, successive administrations failed to sustain some of the initiatives, contributing to the emergence of an ungoverned space in the Chad Basin.

He said the vacuum subsequently created conditions that made the region vulnerable to criminal groups and violent conflicts.

Monguno therefore called on contemporary leaders to revisit some of Musa Usman’s development initiatives and draw lessons from his approach to governance.

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babagana Kingibe, who presented the book, described Musa Usman’s leadership style as collegiate, saying he combined vision and intellectual capacity with humility.

Kingibe attributed the former governor’s achievements to his willingness to listen to colleagues, civil servants and other stakeholders rather than impose his views on the administration.

“He had humility to know that he didn’t know everything. He had humility to run a collegiate administration, to debate, to relate to everyone in the government as a colleague, as a friend, and not as some kind of a military czar,” Kingibe said.

He said Musa Usman’s ability to work effectively with experienced civil servants and commissioners demonstrated the importance of combining the experience of older generations with the knowledge, energy and fresh perspectives of younger Nigerians.

Kingibe noted that Musa Usman was only 27 when he became governor, yet he was able to mobilise experienced administrators and political office holders towards achieving significant development across the vast region.

He also paid tribute to Musa Usman’s wife, Hadja Jummai Usman, describing her as a model of humility and integrity.

According to him, she continued to work as a civil servant during her husband’s tenure as governor, demonstrating a strong commitment to public service.

Kingibe said the book should serve not merely as a historical account but also as an opportunity for Nigerians, particularly those in public office, to reflect on the country’s development trajectory and draw lessons from Musa Usman’s leadership philosophy and administrative record.

He said Nigeria could make greater progress if leaders focused on building institutions, sustaining development initiatives and creating policies that would continue to benefit citizens beyond individual administrations and electoral cycles.