Cabinet of Shehu Shagari

The Cabinet of Shehu Shagari formed the government of Nigeria during the presidency of Shehu Shagari between 1979 and 1983, after the return to civilian rule with the Second Nigerian Republic. It was terminated by a military coup.

Cabinet of Shehu Shagari
Cabinet of Nigeria
Date formed	1 October 1979
Date dissolved	31 December 1983
People and organisations
Head of state	Shehu Shagari
Head of government	Shehu Shagari
Member party	National Party of Nigeria (NPN)
History
Predecessor	Government of General Olusegun Obasanjo
Successor	Government of General Muhammadu Buhari

Shehu Shagari on 7 October 1980

History

Lieutenant General Olusegun Obasanjo became head of the government after an attempted coup in February 1976. He managed the transition to civilian rule in an election won by the National Party of Nigeria led by Shehu Shagari.[1] Shagari took office on 1 October 1979.[2] He then appointed 61 ministers, of whom 24 were of cabinet rank. The ministers were both Muslim and Christian, with the Muslims assuming a larger and growing share of ministries, with most of the more important posts.[1] Shagari made extensive use of the Cabinet Office, an organisation of leading professional civil servants, where it would have been more typical of a presidential system to rely more on political appointees.[3]

Shagari did not have complete control over the immensely powerful ministers in his cabinet.[4] While he worked honestly, he was not powerful enough to discharge the many dishonest men working alongside him.[5]

Shehu Shagari's National Party of Nigeria (NPN) won the 1983 general elections. These were known as the worst elections in Nigeria's history. The political parties resorted to violence, arson, vote rigging and other malpractices in the struggle for victory.[6] After the second election, Shagari removed all but seven of the former members of his cabinet, and appointed various respected technocrats such as Emeka Anyaoku. He also reappointed his relative, Umaru Dikko, who had been accused of corruption.[5]

Soon after Shagari began his second term as president on 31 December 1983, the military staged a coup. It was led by Major Generals Muhammadu Buhari and Tunde Idiagbon.[1] The coup was launched two days after Shagari had announced an austerity program, forced due to a fall in the price of oil, which provided 90% of government revenue. Shagari and many cabinet members were arrested. Buhari said the coup was required to remove the "inept and corrupt administration that left Nigeria a beggar nation."[7]

Ministers

Cabinet members included:

Office	Minister	Notes '
President	Shehu Shagari	1979–83
Vice-President	Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme	1979–83
Agriculture	Ibrahim Gusau	December 1979 – February 1982[8]
	Adamu Ciroma	February 1982 – October 1983[8]
Attorney General and Justice	Richard Akinjide	December 1979 – October 1983[9]
Aviation	Samuel Mafuyai	December 1979 – February 1982[9]
	John Kadiya	February 1982 – October 1983[9]
Commerce	Isaac Shaahu	December 1979 – February 1982[9]
	Bello Maitama Yusuf	February 1982 – October 1983[9]
Communications	Akanbi Oniyangi	December 1979 – February 1982[8]
	Audu Innocent Ogbeh	February 1982 – October 1983[9]
Defence	Iya Abubakar	December 1979 – February 1982[8]
	Akanbi Oniyangi	February 1982 – October 1983 [8][10]
Education	I. C. Madubuike	December 1979 – February 1982[9]
	Sylvester Ugoh	February 1982 – October 1983[9]
Employment, Labor and Productivity	Adebisi Ogedengbe	December 1979 – February 1982[9]
	Emmanuel Osanmor	February 1982 – October 1983[9]
External Affairs	Ishaya Audu	December 1979 – October 1983[8][11]
	Emeka Anyaoku	1983 [11]
Federal Capital Territory	John Kadiya	December 1979 – February 1982[9]
	Abubakar Iro Danmusa	February 1982 – October 1983[9]
Finance & Works	Sunday Essang	December 1979 – October 1983[9]
Health	D. C. Ugwu	December 1979 – October 1983[9]
Housing (and Environment from 1981)	Wahab Dosumu	December 1979 – February 1982[9]
	Ahmed Musa	February 1982 – October 1983[8]
Industries	I. J. Igbani	December 1979 – October 1983[8]
Information	Garba Wushishi	February 1982 – October 1983[9]
Internal Affairs	Maitama Bello Yusuf	December 1979 – 1981
	Janet Akinrinade	(Minister of State) December 1979 – October 1983[9][12]
	Iya Abubakar	1981–1982
	Ali Baba	(Minister of State)1981 – 1982
	Ali Baba	1982 – 1983[13]
Mines and Power	Mohammed Ibrahim Hassan	December 1979 – October 1983[9]
National Planning	Ebun Oyagbola	December 1979 – October 1983[9]
Police Affairs	Emmanuel Osanmor	December 1979 – February 1982[9]
	Ndagi Mahmudu	February 1982 – October 1983[9]
Public Works & Finance	Victor Masi	December 1979 – October 1983[8]
Science and Technology	Sylvester Ugoh	December 1979 – February 1982[9]
	Wahab Dosunmu	February 1982 – October 1983[9]
Social Welfare, Youth, Sports (to 1982) and Culture	Paulinus Amadike	December 1979 – February 1982[9]
Sports Development	Adebisi Ogedengbe	February 1982 – October 1983[9]
Steel Development	Paul Unongo	(MOS) December 1979 – February 1982[8]
	Mamman Makele	February 1982 – October 1983[8]
Transport	Umaru Dikko	December 1979 – October 1983[8]
Water Resources	Ndagi Mahmudu	December 1979 – February 1982[9]
	E. Y. Atanu	February 1982 – October 1983[8]

Distribution by Religion

The distribution of ministerial appointments by religion (M: Muslim, C: Christian) was:[14]

Ministry	80	81	82	83
Agriculture	M	M	M	M
Attorney General and Justice	C	C	C	C
Aviation	C	C	C	M
Commerce	C	M	M	M
Communications	C	M	M	M
Defense	M	M	M	–
Education	C	C	C	C
Employment, Labor and Productivity	C	C	C	C
External Affairs	M	M	M	M
Federal Capital Territory	C	M	M	M
Finance	C	C	C	C
Health	C	C	C	C
Housing (and Environment from 1981)	M	M	M	M
Industries	M	M	M	M
Information	–	–	M	M
Internal Affairs	M	M	M	M
Mines and Power	M	M	M	M
National Planning	M	M	M	M
Police Affairs	C	C	M	M
Public Works	C	C	C	C
Science and Technology	C	C	M	M
Social Welfare, Youth, Sports (to 1982) and Culture	C	C	C	C
Sports	–	–	–	M
Steel	C	M	M	M
Transport	M	M	M	M
Water Resources	M	M	C	C

Notes

1. Ajayi 2009, p. 152.
2. Falola & Heaton 2008, p. 201.
3. Inamete 2001, p. 111.
4. Ehling & Holste-von-Mutius 2001, p. 61.
5. Smith 2014, p. 183.
6. Ifeoha Azikiwe 2013, p. 271.
7. Dingle 1984, p. 21.
8. Ifeoha Azikiwe 2013, p. 278.
9. Ifeoha Azikiwe 2013, p. 279.
10. Inamete 2001, p. 114.
11. Inamete 2001, p. 112.
12. Ronke Iyabowale Ako-Nai 2013, p. 163.
13. Abegunrin, Olayiwola. Nigerian Foreign Policy Under Military Rule, 1966–1999. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. p. 103. ISBN 9780275978815. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
14. Ajayi 2009, p. 153.

Sources

• Ajayi, Femi (2009). The Effect of Religion on the Political Process: The Case of the Federal Sharia Court of Appeal 1975–1990. iUniverse. ISBN 978-0-595-47828-6. Retrieved 3 July 2015.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Dingle, Derek T. (April 1984). "A Takeover in Nigeria". Black Enterprise. Earl G. Graves, Ltd. ISSN 0006-4165.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Ehling, Holger; Holste-von-Mutius, Claus-Peter (1 January 2001). No Condition Is Permanent: Nigerian Writing and the Struggle for Democracy. Rodopi. ISBN 90-420-1486-5. Retrieved 3 July 2015.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Falola, Toyin; Heaton, Matthew M. (24 April 2008). A History of Nigeria. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-47203-6. Retrieved 3 July 2015.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Ifeoha Azikiwe (2013). Nigeria: Echoes of a Century: Volume One 1914–1999. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-4817-2926-0. Retrieved 3 July 2015.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Inamete, Ufot Bassey (1 January 2001). Foreign Policy Decision-making in Nigeria. Susquehanna University Press. ISBN 978-1-57591-048-2. Retrieved 3 July 2015.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Ronke Iyabowale Ako-Nai (2013). Gender and Power Relations in Nigeria. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7391-7778-5. Retrieved 3 July 2015.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Smith, Graham (25 September 2014). Federalism: The Multiethnic Challenge. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-317-89308-0. Retrieved 3 July 2015.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)