Late Alhaji Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari was the only elected President in the truncated Second Republic between 1979 and December 31, 1983, when he was removed from office in a military putsch spearheaded by the then Major General Muhammadu Buhari.
At the time of Shagari’s reign, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had been moved to Abuja from where he called the shots. Nigeria’s centre of power wasn’t in today’s Aso Rock Presidential Villa presently occupied by President Bola Tinubu. The levers of power were handled from Garki Area 1 district of Abuja, which is now known as Old Federal Secretariat.
Shagari’s modest office, although in tune with the demands of his time more than 40 years ago, is still standing till today within the Old Federal Secretariat building now housing the headquarters of the National Orientation Agency (NOA).
This Thursday, some presidential media aides paid a visit to the NOA headquarters and used the opportunity to take a peep into one of the relics of Nigeria’s past – late President Shagari’s office.
After the visit, one of the President’s media aides, Temitope Ajayi, took to his Facebook page to briefly explain what they saw.
“President Shehu Shagari’s Abuja office at the first building ever built as the President’s office within the old Federal Secretariat in Abuja between 1979-1983. The office has been preserved since he left office in 1983 with same furniture and everything he used as President still inside the office. While the building now houses National Orientation Agency at the old Federal Secretariat, President Shagari’s office has been preserved,” Ajayi stated.
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