Shagari, Shehu (Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari), 1925–2018, president of Nigeria (1979–83). He served in Nigeria's house of representatives and in several ministerial positions in the 1950s through 1970s. In 1978 he helped form the National party, and his subsequent election as president marked the end of 13 years of military rule in Nigeria. Economic problems, including high unemployment, a need for austerity measures due to a large drop in oil prices, and government corruption led to his overthrow (1983) and the installation of a military government led by Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.
see biography by D. Williams (1982).
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