Shehu Sani – Politics
| Stage Name: | Shehu Sani |
| Real Name: | Shehu Sanu |
| Occupation: | Politician |
| Date Of Birth/Age: | 29th October 1967 (58 years) |
| State of Origin: | Kaduna State, Nigeria |
| Gender: | Male |
| Nationality: | Nigerian |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Education: | Kaduna Polytechnic |
| Known for: | Politics |
Early Life
Shehu Sani was born on 29 October 1967 in Tudun Wada, a neighbourhood in Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria. His father worked as a production manager at a newspaper company, and he had access to a large library of books at home. Through these books, he learned a lot about politics and human rights when he was young. His mother was a community women’s leader, and she taught him to care about people and justice in the society.
Educational Background
Shehu began his primary school at Local Government Education Authority (LGEA) School in Badarawa, Kaduna, from 1975 to 1980. He moved to Government Day Secondary School in Kagara, Niger State from 1980 to 1984, and later studied at Government Science College, Kagara too. After secondary school, he attended Kaduna Polytechnic from 1984 until 1993, where he earned an associate degree in Agricultural Engineering.
Career
Unionism and Activism
While at Kaduna Polytechnic, Shehu became a student leader. He was Chairman of the Central Mobilization Committee of the Pan‑African Student Organization, and also President of the African Democratic Youth Congress. He served as Social Director of the Kaduna State Students Union too.
He joined the Campaign for Democracy (CD), a nationwide group pushing for Nigeria’s return to democracy, and became Northern Coordinator and then National Vice‑Chairman. Because of his activism, he was detained many times under military governments in Nigeria during the 1990s. In 1993, he was arrested for speaking out about the cancelled June 12 election. Later under General Abacha’s rule he was sentenced to life imprisonment, which was then changed to 15 years. He spent time in many prisons including Kirikiri, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Enugu, and Aba.
Human Rights and Peace Work
Shehu Sani continued to help poor and disadvantaged people. During the religious riots in Kaduna in 2000, he was the only human rights activist to speak out boldly and help unite communities.
He organized protests and rallies about many issues:
- Against the Iraq invasion of Kuwait
- Against Israeli actions in Gaza in 2008 and 2011
- Against visiting world leaders when he believed Nigerian policies were hurtful
- Against cuts to fuel subsidy in Nigeria
He also set up a bicycle race and peace award—the Shehu Sani Annual Prize (from 2013) to honour community peace advocates. He even published a newspaper called Peace to spread positive messages.
In 2011, he helped arrange a meeting between former President Obasanjo and the family of slain Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf. In 2013, he was invited by President Goodluck Jonathan to join a committee to dialogue with Boko Haram—but he declined because he felt his earlier advice had not been used.
Writing and Books
Shehu Sani is also an author and playwright. He wrote books about politics, human rights, and democracy, such as Killing Fields, Political Assassination in Nigeria, Betrayal and Society, Civilian Dictators of Africa, Scorpion Under Pillow, and more.
Politics and Senate Career
In March 2015, Shehu Sani was elected Senator for Kaduna Central under the All Progressives Congress (APC) . He became the first Nigerian senator to publicly declare his assets on 4 September 2015. He led Senate committees on Local & Foreign Debts, and served as Vice‑Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee.
In October 2018, he left APC and joined the People’s Redemption Party (PRP). In 2019, he ran for re‑election but lost to Uba Sani of APC.
Personal Life
Shehu Sani is married and has children, including an adopted son. He was reported to have two wives: Rabi Shehu Sani and Hauwa Sani.
On his 56th birthday, he shared rare family photos on social media showing his wife and four children at a cake‑cutting celebration in Kaduna.
When asked how he likes to relax, he said he reads books, visits friends without his phone, and sometimes goes to the gym. He also likes to visit the post office to send letters, to enjoy simple moments away from digital screens.
Social Media Presence
Shehu Sani is active on Instagram under the handle @shehu.sani. As of mid‑2025, he had around 235,000 followers on Instagram, with an engagement rate around 0.11%, receiving on average a few hundred likes per post.
He is also well-known on X (formerly Twitter) with the handle @ShehuSani. He uses social media in a funny and polite way to criticize government policies and speak truth to power. He says people should not be angrily shouting online, but share serious messages with humour. That style made him popular, especially with young Nigerians.
Net Worth
In September 2015, Shehu Sani declared his assets publicly. He said he had about ₦22 million in three bank accounts, two houses in Kaduna, two houses under lease in Kaduna, one house in Abuja, one inherited family house in Kurfi (Katsina State), another in Minna (Niger State), plus several cars. He also mentioned shares he bought worth about ₦5 million that lost value during the 2008 stock market crash.
Other online sources estimate his net worth around US$1.5 million, but that figure is not official and may be a rough guess. The publicly verified information is really from his 2015 asset declaration.
