Kashim Shettima

Biography

An agricultural economist and banker who governed Borno State through the worst years of the Boko Haram insurgency, Kashim Shettima became Nigeria’s 15th Vice President in 2023 — and is Tinubu’s running mate again for 2027.

Career history

1. 1989

   He attended Lamisula Primary School in Maiduguri, then secondary schools in Biu and Potiskum, before studying agricultural economics at the University of Maiduguri, where he graduated in 1989.

2. 1991

   He began his career as a lecturer in agricultural economics at the University of Maiduguri (1991–1993).

3. 2001

   He then moved into banking — first as an agricultural economist with Commercial Bank of Africa in Lagos, then with African International Bank in Kaduna, and from 2001 with Zenith Bank, where he rose to become the bank’s general manager for the North-East.

4. 2007

   In 2007 Governor Ali Modu Sheriff brought him into government as Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development.

5. 2011

   Shettima was elected governor in April 2011 on the ANPP platform and re-elected in 2015 under the APC.

6. 2014

   His eight years coincided with the most violent period of the Boko Haram insurgency, including the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in April 2014.

7. 2019

   After leaving office he was elected Senator for Borno Central in 2019.

8. 2022

   In July 2022 Tinubu chose him as his running mate — a Muslim–Muslim ticket that drew strong debate, especially among Christian groups, but which the APC defended as a choice based on competence and electoral strategy.

9. 2023

   The ticket won, and Shettima was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2023 at Eagle Square, Abuja.

10. 2026

    After months of speculation about whether Tinubu would change his running mate, the APC confirmed in 2026 that Shettima would remain on the ticket for the 2027 election.

Quick facts