Shettima made the call on Monday at the presentation of a book on the life and legacy of Brigadier Musa Usman, pioneer military governor of the former North-Eastern state.
He was represented by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Aliyu Modibbo.
‘We must build beyond the next elections and think beyond political boundaries. Leadership is measured by what continues to serve the people after the leader has left office,’ Shettima said.
He described the book presentation as an opportunity to remember a generation of public servants who saw public office as an honourable duty and a chance to build institutions.
The Vice President commended the authors, Mallam Mahmud Jega and Dr. Theophilus Aba, for documenting the story of Musa Usman, whose contributions he said remain visible across the North-East.
He noted that the former North-Eastern State, created in 1967, covered a vast and diverse territory that now comprises six states – Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe.
Shettima said the region’s diversity in ethnicity, faith, ecology and traditions required fair and credible institutions that give all communities a sense of belonging.
He said Musa Usman’s legacy is particularly visible in Maiduguri, where the Musa Usman Secretariat remains an enduring monument to his administration.
Shettima said successive administrations built on the foundations laid by predecessors and urged that development in the North-East must continue despite current challenges.
He called on leaders to recover the spirit of purposeful public service and apply it to contemporary issues including reconstruction, agriculture, education, transportation, energy, industrialisation, employment, environmental restoration, peace and security.
Former National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), said Musa Usman’s contributions remain relevant more than five decades after his tenure.
Monguno said the territory administered by Musa Usman covered about 289,421 square kilometres and shared international boundaries with Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
He said Musa Usman assumed office at 27 and inherited a region with limited infrastructure, but devoted eight years to transforming it into a centre of national development.
‘The eight years he served as military governor were exemplified by a commitment to duty, a sense of purpose, and a relentlessness, fired by a desire to transform the North-East into one of the nerve centres for national development,’ Monguno said.
He listed projects associated with the administration to include the Ashaka Cement Company, Savannah Sugar Factory, North-East College of Arts and Science, Maiduguri Specialist Hospital and the National Kidney Centre.
He described the establishment of the Chad Basin Development Authority as one of Musa Usman’s most significant contributions, noting that it demonstrated foresight on irrigation, agriculture, economic development and the future of the Lake Chad Basin.
According to Monguno, Musa Usman recognised the threat to the Lake Chad Basin and warned of the consequences of failing to sustain development initiatives.
He said subsequent administrations failed to sustain the initiative, creating a vacuum that contributed to ungoverned spaces and vulnerability to criminal groups and violent conflict.
Kingibe praises collegiate leadership
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babagana Kingibe, who presented the book, described Musa Usman’s style as collegiate.
‘He had humility to know that he didn’t know everything. He had humility to run a collegiate administration, to debate, to relate to everyone in the government as a colleague, as a friend, and not as some kind of a military czar,’ Kingibe said.
He said Musa Usman achieved significant development because he listened to colleagues and valued contributions from experienced civil servants and commissioners.
Kingibe also highlighted the role of Musa Usman’s wife, Hajiya Jummai Usman, describing her as a model of humility and integrity who continued working as a civil servant while her husband was governor.
He said the book offers Nigerians an opportunity to reflect on the country’s development trajectory and draw lessons from Musa Usman’s leadership.