It was the end of another political era, yesterday, with the death of Second Republic President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari. He was 93.
One of his grandsons, Bello Shagari, who confirmed the passage of the former school teacher and one of Nigeria’s most humble leaders at the National Hospital, Abuja, wrote on his Twitter handle, @Belshagy: “I regret announcing the death of my grandfather, H.E. Alhaji Shehu Shagari, who died after brief illness at the National Hospital, Abuja,” he tweeted.
Shagari was overthrown in the military coup of December 31, 1983 that ushered in the government of then head-of-state, Maj-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, now President.
Reminiscing on what Shagari told him after winning 12 two-third case in 1979, a former minister of Justice and attorney general of the federation, Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN), described his former boss as the best civilian President ever produced by Nigeria, because he did not use his office to enrich himself and was the only leader he knew that died as a poor man.
Akinjide recalled that he met Shagari at the parliament before Nigeria attained its independence and they both served in the Council of State in the First Republic under the late Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, who was the Prime Minister.
He described the day he won the controversial 12 two-third election case in 1979 as one of the happiest moments in Shagari’s life, recalling: “When we won the case, I saw him very happy and he told me that was the happiest day in his life and described the judgment as watershed in his career.
“I will never forget his controlled appetite for acquiring wealth. As a member of the parliament before independence, we were surprised that he did not build a house when we went to visit him after independence.
“The present crop of leaders have a lot to learn from his lifestyle. He served this country without blemish and without using his position to amass wealth.”
