Shettima at 58: A study in the art of salesmanship

Often, during a meeting, he would call up to 30 guests in his conference room by their full names. You could see the shock on their faces—some he had never met, some he met many seasons ago, and some he had briefly met before the meeting. Yet, all share in the surprise that he remembers them. But what’s even more endearing about him is the haste with which he hands everyone their flowers, praising them even in crowds that don’t recognize them. This has inspired a resolve to do more.

A few weeks ago, an aide of the Vice President emerged from a meeting beaming with enthusiasm. “You won’t believe what happened today,” he said. “The Vice President said I am almost a genius.” This compliment, though seemingly excessive, was well-deserved. The aide, a brilliant mind who transitioned from a successful startup to public service, found his contributions not merely acknowledged but genuinely appreciated.

I remember when the office came up with an initiative, which is currently in the pipeline—a fulcrum for policy research and innovation. The team and I joked that there’s no need to reach out to external hands or consultants to bring this to life because almost everyone around the Vice President is hugely cerebral. The team seems like an aggregation of the soundest minds from the Big 4—alumni of which are in the office—from PWC, down through Deloitte, to KPMG.

Perhaps, the most cherished virtue of the Vice President is how easy he has made it for his aides to advise him. Sometimes, you feel you have gone too far in pointing out the obvious, only to receive an acknowledgment of your guts, whether via text or in-person communication, appreciating your viewpoint and admitting to a transgression quite humbly. This emphasizes the essence of an aide’s role.

But the aides are not even the biggest beneficiaries of the Vice President’s salesmanship. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has also enjoyed this. Not many knew that the Vice President led in expressing support for the candidacy of Mr. President ahead of the presidential election, delivering an eloquent and viral speech that would make even the skeptics of the President rethink their position. It was a profound pitch, one I am sure even the President found enchanting at a time when every politician was afraid of going public with their political choices, fearing they might be seen as going against then-President Muhammad Buhari’s awaited political preference.

Even as Vice President, Senator Shettima’s remarkable humility is evident in how, at public fora, he always refers to his successor, Governor Babagana Zulum, whom he appointed as his Commissioner and who succeeded him in Borno State, as his boss. This deference might seem unusual given his own high office, but it underscores his genuine respect even for those beneath him. His art of acknowledging others was further illustrated during a trip when he spoke warmly about a minister from the South-East, recounting how the minister had been kind to him. Whenever I meet the minister, he is visibly moved by that memory, unable to contain his excitement over the Vice President’s continued recognition and appreciation of their shared past.

But the Vice President’s political sophistication is no surprise. On this morning of his 58th birthday, a friend and I analyzed how he got to where he is by acknowledging the timelines of how he rose through the ranks. It’s quite a journey, one that took more than grit to endure. A General Manager at a tier-one bank in his late 30s, and then a commissioner of five critical ministries in Borno State, before reaching the exact middle of his 40s.

At 44, after resigning as a high-flying banker, he had already served as Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, and later for Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs. He went on to head the Ministries of Education, Agriculture, and later Health, all under his predecessor as Borno State Governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff. At 44, Shettima was spearheading the affairs of a state that exhibited all the characteristics of a war zone, and he powered through to emerge as a Senator of the republic at 53. That’s the experience I always underline, whether in private or public conversations, to state the obvious—Nigeria has never had a vice president with his level of political experience.

Although in the Fourth Republic, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar came to office with formidable political credentials, he never had the privilege of holding a political office before becoming Vice President. When Dr. Goodluck Jonathan took over, his experience was primarily as a deputy governor, only later completing his principal’s term as Governor. Architect Namadi Sambo’s story was similar to Jonathan’s. For Professor Yemi Osinbajo, his political experience was even more limited, having only served as a commissioner in his political trajectory.

This isn’t to diminish the place of these distinguished predecessors, but rather to highlight how the hierarchy and duration of the offices Senator Shettima has held have influenced his political compass—a commissioner across five critical ministries, a two-time Governor, Senator, and now the second citizen of a nation of over 200 million people. This rich background has been evident in the wisdom and discretion with which he has served President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, setting an example of the essence of loyalty in a political space—something even distant observers find hard to grasp.

Ahead of his 58th birthday, as he has always done, Vice President Kashim Shettima advised against paid publications in celebration of his new age in a signed statement. I am not surprised, however, that this advice fell on deaf ears. This, however, is a free space to celebrate this cerebral bookworm whose memory retention capacity, voracity in reading, and humility in dealing with his aides and colleagues have always left me, and the guests at all his meetings and encounters, amused.

More than I have enjoyed sharing the best books I come across with him, I feel honored to have had the privilege of working for the Vice President and learning from his wellspring of experience, especially the value of loyalty in a system designed for crises and opportunism. May the good fortune he shares bring forth immense rewards for those around him, and for the nation.

Kakanda is senior special assistant to the president in the office of the vice-president.