Kashim Shettima

Nigeria is ready for business, and under the leadership of President @officialABAT, the country is committed to deepening ties with the Republic of Poland in different sectors of the economy, the Vice President, Senator @KashimSM, has said. This, he said, can be done in the areas of defence cooperation, digital economy, agriculture, and other sectors where Poland has shown remarkable comparative advantage, noting that “there is room for improved relations between our countries.” Senator @KashimSM stated this on Thursday during a courtesy visit by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs of the Republic of Poland, Dr. @KGawkowski, to the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The Vice President told the Polish envoy that Nigeria is open for business, noting that “since assumption of office over two years ago, President @officialABAT has unlocked the full potential of the Nigerian economy. “We have liberalised the foreign exchange market; we have removed subsidy on petroleum products; we have harmonised our tax laws such that companies coming into Nigeria will not be overtaxed, and there is room for improvement in our relationship in critical areas,” he added.

Vice President @KashimSM has departed Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, for Abuja after participating in the primary election of the All Progressives Congress (@OfficialAPCNg), which produced Engr. Mustapha Gubio as the party’s governorship flagbearer. The Vice President, who led the governor of Borno State, @ProfZulum, and other APC members in the state to the party’s governorship primary, urged all stakeholders to work towards the overall victory of the APC. He seized the moment to call on party members to ensure unity, bury hatchets, and commit themselves to the success of the party. The Vice President stressed the need to move the nation forward under an administration of integrity, even as he implored party members to see the affirmation of the party’s governorship flagbearer as a collective resolve to get the best candidates who can deliver on economic growth, security, and a brighter future for the state. “Whatever we do here is part of the broader agenda of the administration of His Excellency, President @officialABAT, to ensure a better future for Nigeria and Nigerians — one I believe will set the nation on a clear course for prosperity. The time has come to walk the talk, and only credible leaders can make this unfold into a pleasant reality for the citizens.”

President @officialABAT has described the autobiography of former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd), as an important national document that offers guidance for Nigeria’s future, regional cooperation, and the preservation of national unity. The Nigerian leader particularly called for wide circulation of the memoir across the country, noting that it is a civic inheritance for all Nigerians. Speaking on Tuesday during the public presentation of the memoir, My Life of Duty and Allegiance, at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, the President, who was represented by his deputy, Vice President @KashimSM, said the reflections of leaders who witnessed defining moments in the nation’s history remain essential to strengthening democratic stability and national cohesion. President @officialABAT said Nigeria must preserve its historical memory to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, stressing that societies that fail to learn from their history risk drifting into division and uncertainty. “A nation that misplaces its memory soon begins to quarrel with its own reflection. A society without memory becomes an orphan in time,” he said. President @officialABAT observed that the former Head of State’s account was arriving at a time when Nigeria and the wider West African region continue to grapple with insecurity, economic pressures, and social fragmentation, making the lessons of reconciliation and statesmanship even more relevant. The Nigerian leader praised Gowon’s post-civil war reconciliation efforts, particularly the declaration of “No victor, no vanquished,” describing it as one of the defining principles that helped preserve Nigeria’s unity after the civil war.

The Vice President, Senator @KashimSM, has charged the Code of Conduct Bureau (@CCBNigeria) to remain apolitical and maintain strict independence in order to function with integrity, transparency, and accountability. He also urged the Bureau to sustain its digitisation process to create a system that allows public officers to declare assets and liabilities electronically from any location, eliminating the delays and inefficiencies of paper forms, as well as matching what obtains in foreign jurisdictions. Senator @KashimSM gave the charge on Friday when he received a delegation from the CCB, led by its Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Usman Bello, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The Vice President congratulated Bello and his team on their assumption of office, just as he cautioned them against being mired in any controversy. “Remain steadfast. Be as apolitical as humanly possible and do your job as much as you can,” he charged the delegation, even as he acknowledged the CCB’s current efforts, especially in the digitisation process, observing that the world is changing and the Bureau has to move with the tide.

RT @officialSKSM: The Vice President, Senator @KashimSM, has applauded the Renewed Hope Baby Support (RHBS) programme, a national human cap…

President @officialABAT has, again, showered encomiums on the leader of the Afenifere socio-political group, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, describing him as a steadfast voice for the unity of Nigeria and the dignity of the citizens. He said the elder statesman has spent most of his century of life sacrificing his comfort to fight for the under-represented, while lending his voice to causes against oppression. The President, who stated this on Monday in Akure, the Ondo State capital, during the 100th birthday celebration of Chief Fasoranti, thanked the elder statesman for his service to education, democracy, and the cause of justice, as well as the wisdom he has offered across generations. Represented at the birthday celebration by his deputy, Vice President @KashimSM, the Nigerian leader noted that “to have fought across time for the betterment of one’s people and nation, as Chief Fasoranti has done,” entails bearing scars that become badges of honour. On behalf of President @officialABAT, VP @KashimSM also commissioned a landmark flyover project, which was eventually named after the celebrant by the Ondo State Government.

Vice President @KashimSM has assured the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) that the Federal Government will reach out to major stakeholders to fast-track the passage of its amendment bill aimed at scaling the impact of the institute. The bill currently before the National Assembly aims to change the institute’s name to better reflect modern governance practices and expand its mandate beyond traditional secretarial duties. The Vice President stated this on Friday when a delegation from ICSAN, led by its 30th President and Chairman of the Governing Council, Mrs. Uto Ukpanah, paid him a courtesy visit in his office at the Presidential Villa. He congratulated the institute on its 60th anniversary, describing the upcoming event as a celebration of 60 years of professionalism and integrity. “You have earned it, and the nation is better for the work you have done. You are truly a consequential organization, and even the calibre of people who were part of your history did their best for the nation,” he said.

The Vice President, Senator @KashimSM, on Thursday formally submitted President @officialABAT’s nomination and expression of interest forms to the national officers of the ruling All Progressives Congress (@OfficialAPCNg), signalling his intent to clinch the party’s ticket to contest the 2027 presidential election for a second term in office. He rallied party faithful, including State Governors, National Assembly members, and party officials, to support the President’s candidature, saying President @officialABAT has demonstrated his ability to pull Nigeria out of the economic and social morass in which it had been enmeshed. Speaking at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre after submitting the forms, Senator @KashimSM relied on the positive impact of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the @officialABAT administration as the rallying call to give the President full backing to actualise his bid for a second term. “We are here, first, as Nigerians, and secondly as members of the All Progressives Congress (@OfficialAPCNg), to submit this very priceless nomination form of our dear President and leader, His Excellency, @officialABAT, as he seeks to lead us for another four-year term.”

President @officialABAT’s comprehensive economic restructuring is rebuilding the pillars of Nigeria’s economy every state of the federation can depend on, the Vice President, Senator @KashimSM, has said. He identified the outcome of the restructuring, aimed at reducing subnational dependence on the federal government, largely through fiscal reforms and increased allocations to states, as energy reliability, fiscal balance, tax reform, and a single digital gateway for investment, among others. Senator @KashimSM, who made the observation on Wednesday in Lafia during the Nasarawa Investment Summit 2026, noted that the ongoing transformation of subnational economies into stronger and more viable entities justifies the choice of states as the focal point of the reform agenda of the @officialABAT administration. “At the national level, we are rebuilding the pillars every state depends on: energy reliability, fiscal balance, tax reform, and a single digital gateway for investment. The ongoing power-sector reforms are opening new paths for state participation.

The Vice President, Senator @KashimSM, has affirmed that the reforms of the administration of President @officialABAT in the mining sector are beginning to manifest, with over $2.6 billion in Foreign Direct Investment attracted to the sector in the last 30 months alone. He highlighted that through the de-risking of the mining environment in the country, the administration has made local value addition a non-negotiable principle of licensing, as Nigeria is no longer content to be a warehouse of raw materials. Senator @KashimSM stated this on Wednesday in Abuja during the official commissioning of the Kursi Group Headquarters established by Ambassador Abdulfatai Yahaya Seriki Gambari. “We are becoming a global hub for mineral refinement, beneficiation, and value-driven industrial growth,” he pointed out.

The Vice President, Senator @KashimSM, has restated the firm resolve of the administration of President @officialABAT to address humanitarian situations across Nigeria. This, according to him, entails that the administration will continue to engage more with critical stakeholders, including development partners, in tackling grey areas in humanitarian responses across the country. Senator @KashimSM stated this on Tuesday when he received, on a courtesy visit, a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Nigeria (@ICRC_Nigeria) led by Ms @DDoueihyICRC at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The Vice President said Nigeria, under the leadership of President @officialABAT, will continue to nurture existing relationships with key stakeholders like the ICRC, noting that “it is only when we continue engaging with organisations like the Red Cross that we can address some of the grey areas in our humanitarian responses across the country.”

The Vice President, Senator @KashimSM, has charged intending Muslim pilgrims for the 2026 Hajj to uphold national values that positively reflect Nigeria and act as worthy ambassadors of the country during their spiritual journeys. He described them as representatives of the country on the global stage who must portray the best of the nation while complying with the strict regulations of the host nation. Senator @KashimSM gave the charge on Sunday when he flagged off the 2026 Hajj airlift at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, with a renewed commitment to safety, coordination, and pilgrim welfare. “You are ambassadors of Nigeria. You carry with you the image of our nation and the dignity of our people. Let your conduct reflect discipline, humility, patience, and integrity,” he said.

Vice President @KashimSM joined President @officialABAT as the President presided over today’s meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The session, which brought together senior members of cabinet and top government functionaries, was preceded by the swearing-in of four newly appointed Permanent Secretaries in the Federal Civil Service, as well as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (@inecnigeria), by President @officialABAT. Those inaugurated as Permanent Secretaries were Mrs. Warrens Bekearedebo Augusta (Bayelsa State), Dr. Ayinde Shoretire (Ogun State), Mallam Aminu Sani Yargaya (Kano State), and Mrs. Nkiruka Bella Jones-Nebo (Enugu State), while Rear Admiral Jamila Abubakar Sadiq Malafa (Rtd) was sworn in as National Commissioner of Independent National Electoral Commission, representing Adamawa State. Today’s FEC meeting thereafter brought together members of the Federal Executive Council for another round of high-level policy coordination, review of ongoing reform programmes, and consideration of matters central to economic management, public sector efficiency, and service delivery.

The National Economic Council (NEC) has approved the adoption of 112 as the National Emergency Number at all levels and across relevant agencies as part of measures to strengthen Nigeria’s emergency lifeline and build a unified and coordinated national response to emergencies. Council also approved the establishment of a multi-agency implementation committee and programme coordination led by the Office of the Vice President and the Nigerian Communications Commission (@NgComCommission). The approval was part of decisions taken at the 157th meeting of NEC held virtually and chaired by Vice President @KashimSM. The Vice President said the 112 emergency lifeline had become necessary to prevent delays caused by bureaucratic bottlenecks, noting that what the citizens seek urgently when confronted by natural disasters or insecurity is an urgent response and not bureaucracy. “This is not only a technical reform. It is a test of the state’s humanity. In moments of fire, accident, robbery, medical emergency, flood, violence, or panic, citizens do not need bureaucracy. “They need response. They need to know one number to call, one system to trust, and one coordinated chain of action that moves quickly enough to save lives,” he stated.

At this moment, what our party needs is not noise but steadiness. Not suspicion but conversation. Not bitterness but maturity. Not factional triumphalism but collective responsibility. Every leader must lower the temperature. Every aspirant must discipline his camp. Every supporter must remember that today’s opponent in a primary may be tomorrow’s ally in a general election. We have a larger duty to our nation. Politics is not an end in itself. It is a vehicle for service. It is the means through which we deliver security, education, jobs, infrastructure, prosperity, justice, and dignity to our people. If we reduce politics to personal entitlement, we betray the people whose mandate we seek. If we turn primaries into wars of ego, we abandon the very citizens who expect governance from us. His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has shown, through a long political journey, that democracy thrives on accommodation, persuasion, resilience, and coalition-building. That example must guide us. The strength of a party is not in the absence of disagreements, but in its capacity to resolve them without losing its soul. So, I appeal to our leaders: let us be fair. I appeal to our aspirants: let us be patient. I appeal to our supporters: let us be disciplined. I appeal to our party faithful: let us be united. The roof over this house shelters all of us. If we pull it down in anger, nobody will be spared by the storm. Contest, but do not destroy. Disagree, but do not defame. Aspire, but do not divide. Lose, if it happens, with dignity. Win, if it happens, with humility. And after the primaries, let us close ranks, because the real battle will not be among ourselves. The real task will be to go before Nigerians with one voice, one purpose, and one renewed covenant of service. Each of us is a raindrop. Alone, we may appear small. Together, we can become the flood that carries our party to victory and our country towards greater hope. Let us therefore protect the house. Let us preserve the family. Let us choose moderation over mischief, unity over suspicion, and service over ego. We will all have our season, but only if the house still stands. (3/3)

We cannot all win at the same time. This is the first hard lesson of politics. For every ticket, only one candidate will emerge. Many will consult. Many will spend. Many will hope. Many will be encouraged by supporters, friends, and elders. But at the end of the process, only one name will be submitted. That outcome, however painful to others, is not always an injustice. It is often the unavoidable arithmetic of democracy. The true test of a politician is not how loudly he campaigns when the wind is behind him. The true test is how he behaves when the wind turns against him. Anyone can celebrate victory. It takes character to manage disappointment. It takes statesmanship to congratulate a rival. It takes patriotism to remain loyal to the house even when the room assigned to you is not the one you desired. We must also be honest with ourselves. Endorsements are not strange to politics. Preferences are not crimes. Leaders, elders, and stakeholders will naturally have opinions about those they believe can consolidate achievements, protect party interests, and advance the public good. But preference must never become provocation. Influence must never become intimidation. Persuasion must never become exclusion. The credibility of our process is the foundation of our legitimacy. Party leaders must therefore act with fairness. Aspirants must be treated with dignity. Delegates must be allowed to act without fear. Processes must be transparent enough to command respect, even from those who lose. Where there are grievances, they must be addressed with patience and justice. Where there are rumours, they must be answered with clarity. Where there are wounds, they must be healed before they become infections. But aspirants and their supporters also owe the party a duty of restraint. No ambition is worth the destruction of the platform that nurtured it. No grievance is worth the collapse of the house we all helped to build. No ticket is worth turning comrades into enemies. No loss is final enough to justify permanent bitterness. Politics is a long road. Those who understand this do not burn their vehicles because of one rough turn. They do not abandon the journey because one gate did not open. Our history is filled with men and women who lost today and won tomorrow, who were overlooked in one season and became indispensable in another, who endured the pain of temporary defeat and later found the door of destiny opened wider than they imagined. That is the beauty of patience. That is the wisdom of loyalty. That is the reward of staying useful. We must also remember that the people are watching us. Nigerians are not merely listening to our speeches; they are studying our temperament. They are watching how we manage disagreement. They are watching whether we place service above ego. They are watching whether we can subordinate personal ambition to collective survival. A leader who cannot manage disappointment cannot be trusted to manage power. A politician who destroys his party because he lost a ticket may destroy a state because he lost an argument. Our great party must not become a victim of its own strength. We are a large family, and large families must learn the art of accommodation. We are a party of many tendencies, many histories, many interests, and many sacrifices. That diversity is not a curse. It is our capital. But it must be managed with humility, fairness, and discipline. We must not allow outsiders to narrate us into conflict. We must not allow headlines to dictate our emotions. We must not allow commentators, who will not stand with us in the rain, to push us into quarrels that will weaken us in the sun. The media has its place, and public scrutiny is part of democracy. But we must have the wisdom to separate honest analysis from engineered mischief. (2/3)

2027: Don’t Pull Down the Roof The political season is upon us again, and with it comes the familiar fever of democracy. Across our wards and local governments, across party offices and private homes, consultations have begun. Aspirants are making calls, elders are receiving visits, supporters are counting delegates, and the marketplace of ambition is alive once more. This is proof that our democracy still breathes. It is evidence that power in our republic is still something to be negotiated, contested, persuaded, and earned. But every season of politics also comes with its temptations. It comes with the temptation to mistake disagreement for betrayal, competition for enmity, preference for exclusion, and media interpretation for truth. This is why, at this delicate hour, we must speak to ourselves with candour, but also with restraint. We must remind ourselves that a political party is not a battlefield. It is a family. And even in the most spirited family, the roof must never be pulled down because one room appears warmer than another. We are members of one political household. We may have different aspirations, different loyalists, different zones of influence, different calculations, and different preferred outcomes. That is normal. Democracy was never designed to abolish ambition. It was designed to civilise it. It was designed to teach us that we can compete without destroying one another, disagree without demonising one another, and lose without setting fire to the very platform that gave us a voice. We must therefore refuse the temptation to be manipulated by the media, by mischief-makers, by vested interests, or by those who profit from division. There will always be those who whisper that one leader has been slighted, that one bloc has been excluded, or that one interest has been buried. These are familiar tricks in the theatre of politics. They are meant to provoke suspicion, inflame supporters, and turn comrades into adversaries before the real contest even begins. But leadership demands that we rise above provocation. Leadership demands that we ask: who benefits when brothers fight? Who gains when a party weakens itself before facing the opposition? Who profits when those who should be building bridges begin to dig trenches? The truth is simple. The real challenge before us does not end with the primaries. In fact, it begins after the primaries. The primaries will produce candidates, but the general election will test the strength of our unity. A fractured party may produce a candidate, but only a united party can produce victory. A ticket may be won in a hall, but an election is won in the streets, in the villages, in the markets, in the polling units, and in the hearts of the people. This is why every party chieftain, every aspirant, every stakeholder, every delegate, and every supporter matters. Each of us is a raindrop, and each raindrop matters in the making of a flood. No raindrop is too small to be ignored. No stakeholder is too insignificant to be respected. No supporter is too ordinary to be heard. The strength of a party is not only in its most visible leaders; it is in the quiet loyalty of the people who stand by it when the applause has faded. For this reason, moderation must be our watchword. Moderation is not weakness. It is wisdom in public conduct. It is the discipline to speak without poisoning the well. It is the maturity to pursue an interest without injuring the family. It is the grace to understand that today’s disappointment may become tomorrow’s opportunity, and that the bridge we burn in anger may be the road we need in another season. (1/3)

As the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the MTN Nigeria Foundation partner on the national survey on substance use in Nigeria, the Vice President, Senator @KashimSM, has pledged the commitment of the Federal Government to take ownership and leadership of the initiative. According to the Vice President, the Federal Government is involved in the initiative, which he said is essential to Nigeria’s survival as a nation. The Vice President stated this at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday during the signing of the letter of acceptance for cooperation on the National Substance Use Survey in Nigeria between the UNODC and MTN Nigeria Foundation. Speaking on the Federal Government’s expectations, Senator @KashimSM said, “We expect the findings to land as policy inputs, not as documents, and we expect a full and final report no later than the first quarter of next year.” Stressing the commitment of the Federal Government, the VP said, “I want to be clear that the Office of the Vice President’s role is not ceremonial. We are in this for the outcome because the survey report will provide relevant authorities with granular local government data required to design and implement critical interventions.”

The National Council on Nutrition (@NCN_OfficialNG) has adopted the National Policy on Food and Nutrition (NPFN), 2026–2035, and directed the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning to present the policy to the Federal Executive Council for ratification. The council’s approval followed a painstaking process of ratification by critical stakeholders in Nigeria’s nutrition sector, comprising public and private sector sponsors. The adoption of the policy was part of decisions taken by the council at its 15th meeting, held virtually and chaired by Vice President @KashimSM. Summarising the Council’s decision, the Vice President urged members of Council to be guarded by the reality that behind every statistic discussed at the meeting “is a Nigerian child whose life chances are being written by what the government does or fails to do in the months ahead.” “We will be judged not by our deliberations but by our deliveries. Not by what we decided in April 2026, but by what mothers and children in the 774 local government areas experience by 2035,” he added. Senator @KashimSM described the NPFN 2026–2035 as “the most consequential nutrition policy this country has produced,” saying “it is multi-sectoral by design, evidence-based by discipline, and grassroots by orientation.”

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to unlocking the full value of national assets and attracting global capital. This is just as the Vice President, Senator @KashimSM, has called for an aggressive expansion of public-private partnerships to drive Nigeria’s economic ambitions. Speaking on Thursday during the first 2026 meeting of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Vice President said the administration is focused on attracting investment and ensuring that such capital is strategically aligned with national development priorities. “The task before us is not only to ensure that Nigeria emerges as a safe destination for private investment but to align that investment with the governing purpose of this administration and the larger destiny of our nation,” he said.