Vice-President Kashim Shettima has cautioned that if Nigeria fails, the entire black race has failed because Nigeria is being looked upon as a pacesetter.
Shettima made the remark while speaking at the graduation ceremony of participants of the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 47, 2025, at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State.
According to the Vice-President, Nigerians exude confidence wherever they find themselves in the world, adding that this self-assuredness sets them apart from other nationalities.
“If you see a Nigerian on the streets of London, you don’t need a soothsayer to tell you this is a Nigerian, because we walk with cocky arrogance,” Shettima said. “We don’t give way to a white man when we meet along the street.”
He argued that Nigeria occupies a central position in the global Black identity and insisted that the country must not be allowed to fail under any circumstances.
“This country has to work. This is the greatest Black nation on Earth,” he said. “If Nigeria fails, the Black race has failed, and we cannot afford to fail because Nigeria is the hope of the Black race.”
Shettima further described Nigerians as economically enterprising and geographically mobile, stressing that the country’s diversity should be a source of strength rather than division.
“The hope of the Black man rests with Nigeria, because Nigeria is economically enterprising, geographically mobile and economically proficient,” he said. “What binds us together supersedes what divides us.”
In a personal anecdote, the Vice-President recalled being criticised over his appearance at a Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) event, saying the experience pushed him to rethink how he dressed locally, though he remains proud of Nigeria’s cultural identity abroad.
“When I embarrassed myself at the NBA forum, I went and bought some good suits,” Shettima said. “But at international events, I come out in my native wear — babanriga.”
He added that it was in the interest of the global Black population and the wider world for Nigeria to succeed, given its size, influence and human capital.
“So, it is in the best interest of the Black race and the best interest of the world for Nigeria to work,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, said the security situation in the state had improved compared to the previous year, though he acknowledged that challenges remained.
“By the grace of God, the security situation on the Plateau today is not yet Uhuru, but it is better than where we were last year,” Mutfwang said.
“We continue to face challenges, but together, I am sure we have sufficient will to surmount them.”
The governor credited President Bola Tinubu, the military and other security agencies for what he described as sustained support to the state, noting that policy recommendations and security assessments from NIPSS had been useful to his administration.
