Breaking: Former First Lady and Wife of Ex-President Dies Peacefully

Hajiya Sutura Shehu-Shagari, the last surviving wife of Nigeria’s former President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, has passed away at the age of 89.

Her death was announced on Monday in a statement issued by the head of the Shagari family, Capt. Muhammad Bala Shagari (retd.), who revealed that she died around 3 p.m. after a prolonged illness.

In the statement, the family described the late matriarch as “an embodiment of grace, humility, and quiet strength — a devoted mother, grandmother, and pillar of the family who lived a life defined by dignity and compassion.”

They added that her passing is “deeply felt by the entire Shagari family and all who knew her.”

Further details and funeral arrangements, according to the statement, will be announced in due course. “May her gentle soul rest in eternal peace,” it concluded.

Hajiya Sutura was the widow of Shehu Shagari, Nigeria’s first democratically elected Executive President, who served from 1979 to 1983 under the National Party of Nigeria (NPN).

Born on February 25, 1925, in Shagari village, present-day Sokoto State, Shehu Shagari was a teacher, administrator, and politician who rose through the ranks of public service to hold ministerial positions before his historic 1979 presidential victory.

His administration was notable for its focus on housing, agriculture, education, and industrialisation, anchored by the “Green Revolution” programme.

Shagari’s presidency was cut short on December 31, 1983, following a military coup led by then Major-General Muhammadu Buhari. He passed away on December 28, 2018, at the age of 93.