Colonel Rasheed Alade Shekoni is a Nigerian military officer who served as Military Administrator of Jigawa State from August 1996 to August 1998 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha and as Military Administrator of Kwara State from August 1998 to 29 May 1999 under the transitional regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar. His administrative record is tied to state‑level infrastructural projects that have continued significance in subsequent years.
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Background and Military Career
Rasheed Alade Shekoni was born on 25 July 1958. His early military education began at the Nigerian Military School (NMS), where he completed secondary education, before gaining admission to the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna. At the NDA he underwent formal officer training, and in 1978, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army.
The Nigerian Military School and the Nigerian Defence Academy have historically been key institutions for military training, producing officers who often took on command and administrative roles, particularly during periods of direct military governance in Nigeria.
Administration of Jigawa State
Shekoni was appointed Military Administrator of Jigawa State in August 1996, succeeding Brigadier General Ibrahim Aliyu. He served in this position until August 1998, a period marked by military governance and centralised administrative authority in Nigeria.
Rasheed Shekoni Specialist Hospital
One of the most visible projects from his tenure was the construction of a modern specialist hospital in Dutse, the state capital, named the Rasheed Shekoni Specialist Hospital. The facility was completed during his administration but remained unequipped and non‑functional for many years thereafter.
Historical records indicate that the building suffered neglect and vandalism before its revival. In 2007, the structure was rehabilitated under the civilian administration of Governor Sule Lamido, ultimately being commissioned in 2011 as a state specialist hospital, with equipment and a range of clinical services installed.
In October 2022, the hospital was formally taken over by the Federal Government of Nigeria to be integrated as a teaching hospital affiliated with the Federal University Dutse’s College of Medicine and Allied Medical Sciences. It was thereafter named the Rasheed Shekoni Federal University Teaching Hospital.
Today the hospital functions as a tertiary facility providing specialised services in cardiology, nephrology, surgery, pediatrics and other disciplines, while also serving as a centre for clinical training of medical students, resident doctors and other healthcare professionals.
Administration of Kwara State
In August 1998, Shekoni became Military Administrator of Kwara State, succeeding Colonel Peter A.M. Ogar. He held this position until 29 May 1999, when he handed over power to the elected civilian governor Mohammed Lawal, marking Kwara’s transition to democratic governance at the end of military rule in Nigeria.
Housing and Public Works
During his administration in Kwara, Shekoni oversaw the completion of the 360‑unit Adinimole Housing Estate, a residential project intended for government employees. Records from the period note that the subsequent civilian government delayed allocating the units for several years.
Historical documentation also notes that his administration engaged in the construction of 50 housing units at Adewole Estate and sought to improve civil servant accommodation, although public records do not indicate comprehensive details on allocations or long‑term outcomes.
Education, Water and Roads
Under the auspices of the Special Projects Fund, Shekoni’s government in Kwara undertook rehabilitation of several secondary schools and reactivated water infrastructure, including projects at Agba Dam in Ilorin, where a water treatment plant was commissioned. Additionally, his administration made efforts to address the state’s road deficiencies by cooperating with federal agencies.
These initiatives reflected broader priorities for state administrators during the transitional era, which included maintaining public services while preparing for democratic transfer of authority.
Transition to Democracy
Shekoni’s departure from office on 29 May 1999 followed the national return to democratic governance. His peaceful handover to a civilian governor was part of the wider transition across Nigeria that ushered in the Fourth Republic, replacing extended periods of military rule with elected administrations.
Legacy and Contemporary Outcomes
The enduring legacy of Shekoni’s public works is most evident in the evolution of the specialist hospital he initiated in Jigawa. The transformation of this facility into the Rasheed Shekoni Federal University Teaching Hospital represents a major institutional outcome that ties back to his tenure, albeit realised decades later under civilian and federal stewardship.
In Kwara State, the housing estates and infrastructure projects remain part of state records and serve as markers of the administrative responsibilities shouldered during periods of military governance. Although allocations and detailed long‑term effects have been matters of public discussion, they continue to form part of the state’s built environment.
Shekoni’s administrations in both states illustrate the complexities of governance under military regimes, where project initiation and implementation were often subject to subsequent changes in political oversight and priorities.
Colonel Rasheed Alade Shekoni’s role as Military Administrator in Jigawa and Kwara States was rooted in a period of Nigerian history characterised by centralised military governance and the eventual transition to democracy. His tenure is historically documented through the infrastructural projects he initiated, particularly the hospital in Dutse, and the housing estates in Kwara. While the operationalisation of many projects occurred after his administration, their eventual development and integration into public institutions speak to the long‑term influence of state‑level leadership during Nigeria’s military era.
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Author’s Note
Colonel Rasheed Alade Shekoni’s contributions to public infrastructure in Jigawa and Kwara States remain significant, especially in the evolution of the Rasheed Shekoni Federal University Teaching Hospital. His career exemplifies the administrative roles played by military officers in Nigeria’s governance history and the lasting institutional outcomes of their initiatives.
References
- Rasheed Shekoni Federal University Teaching Hospital, Archive.
- FG Takes Over Rasheed Shekoni Specialist Hospital from Jigawa State Government, Federal Ministry of Information
