Last moments of Shettima Muhammad Kashim

Architect Shettima Muhammad Kashim, son of the late Sir Kashim Ibrahim, the first indigenous governor of the defunct Northern Region, has died in a road accident in Abuja.

Shettima, 67, reportedly died on Friday, October 16, hours after attending a book launch examining President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

His remains were buried at Gudu Cemetery, Abuja on Saturday in accordance with Islamic rites after funeral prayers held at the National Mosque attended by dozens, including Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Shettima Mohammed was said to have died after his car ran into a stationary truck in the Asokoro area of the Federal Capital Territory, sustaining fatal head injuries.

His death came hours after he had met friends and associates at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja for the launch of Tinubu: From Renewed Hope to Despair: A Critical Examination of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Government, edited by Professor Abubakar Siddique Mohammed of the Centre for Democratic Development and Research (CEDDERT), Zaria.

Friends who were with him at the book launch described him as a humble, jovial and dependable person who maintained cordial relationships across political divides despite his family’s prominent place in Nigeria’s political history.

Among those who paid tribute to him were Dr Garba Abari, former Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), and Professor Usman Yusuf, former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Abari said he spent several hours with the deceased on Friday before leaving for the Juma’at prayer, unaware that their meeting would be their last.

“We were together with him, one other very close friend of his, Professor Usman Yusuf, and yet another friend of ours, Comrade Kalli Gazali,” Abari said.

Mourners conveying the remains of late Alhaji Shettima Muhammad Kashim after funeral prayer at the National Mosque, Abuja on Saturday

He said they had been together from about 10am until shortly after 1pm at the Yar’Adua Centre, where they exchanged banter and discussed matters in their usual friendly manner.

Abari said he left the group for the Friday prayer at Banex Mosque, while Kashim and the others proceeded to Maitama Juma’at Mosque, popularly known as Yar’Adua Mosque.

According to him, Kashim later took his friends home after the prayers and lunch before driving towards his residence in Asokoro, where the fatal accident occurred.

Abari said the news of Kashim’s death was particularly shocking because the deceased was known to be an extremely careful driver.

“One thing that is distinctive about him is that he is an extremely careful, cautious driver,” Abari said, adding that the same caution characterised the way Kashim approached his responsibilities.

Describing him as a person who never flaunted his privileged family background, Abari said Kashim was well brought up, good-natured and friendly to people regardless of their social standing.

“He was a personification of humility, never carrying any airs around him about the kind of family he came from,” he said.

Abari added that although Kashim came from a political family and held his own political views, he never allowed political differences to damage his relationships with others.

The former NOA director-general said the suddenness of the death was a reminder of the uncertainty of human life.

“If I recall the moments we had together, I recall the banters, everything. He looked too far away from death. But we never knew that it was just hovering around,” he said.

He prayed that Allah would forgive the deceased’s shortcomings and grant his family the strength to bear the loss.

‘We were friends for almost 50 years’

Yusuf, who said he had known Kashim for almost five decades, described him as a decent, dependable and God-fearing person.

In his tribute, the former NHIS executive secretary said their friendship began at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and endured for nearly 50 years.

“Arch. Shettima Mohammed Kashim and I met in ABU Zaria and have been very good friends for almost 50 years,” he said.

Recounting their final hours together, Yusuf said they attended the book launch at the Yar’Adua Centre on Friday and left the venue at about 1:20pm.

He said they proceeded to a mosque in Wuse II for the Friday prayer before having lunch at a nearby restaurant. They later observed the Asr prayer at the mosque before Kashim dropped him at his residence at about 4:30pm.

Yusuf said he received a call from Kashim’s son about half an hour later, informing him that the family had been told that his father’s car was involved in an accident in Asokoro and that the occupant had been taken to Asokoro General Hospital.

He said he rushed to the hospital, where he met members of Kashim’s family and brothers, who informed him that the architect had died.

According to Yusuf, Kashim’s car ran into a stationary truck, resulting in fatal injuries.

“Shettima Mohammed Kashim was more than a friend to me and many. He was a good, decent, dependable and God-fearing person,” he said.

“May Allah forgive all his shortcomings and reward him with Jannatul Firdaus,” he prayed.

Career as an architect

Despite his family’s political background, Kashim maintained a professional career in architecture and public service, according to Abari.

He said the deceased was trained as an architect and remained committed to his profession rather than using his family connections to pursue a political career.

Abari recalled that Kashim served as general manager of the Borno Housing Corporation in the 1980s before moving to the federal service, where he also worked with the Federal Housing Authority.

His career, Abari said, reflected a commitment to the profession in which he was trained.

“He did not abandon his training as an architect,” he said.

Kashim was also known by the traditional title of Shettima of Borno, a title associated with his family’s longstanding place in the traditional and political history of the region.

Yusuf said the title had a historical connection to his father, Sir Kashim Ibrahim, who was conferred with the title of Shettima of Borno in 1935 and later became Waziri of Borno in 1956.

Sir Kashim Ibrahim served as the first indigenous governor of the Northern Region of Nigeria from 1962 to 1966.

Although his father occupied a prominent position in the country’s political history, Abari said Kashim remained approachable and maintained friendships with people of different backgrounds and political persuasions.

Kashim was married to a daughter of the late Alhaji Mai Deribe, a renowned businessman.