Ishaya Audu


Ishaya Sha'aibu Audu was a Nigerian doctor, professor, and politician. A Hausa Christian, he served as Minister of External Affairs from 1979 to 1983 under Shehu Shagari.

Early life, education, and career in academia

Audu was born on March 1, 1927 in Anchau, a village near Zaria, Kaduna State, to a father who had converted from Islam to Christianity. Initially educated at St. Bartholomew’s School in Wusasa, he moved to Yaba Higher College in Lagos and then to University College, Ibadan in 1948. In 1951, he left for the University of London in England, where he stayed until 1954. In 1955, he studied at the University of Liverpool. It was in 1958 that he married his wife, Victoria, with whom he would father six children.
Audu lectured in Internal Medicine at the University of Lagos in 1962 and was promoted to the position of Vice Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University in 1966. He had been the personal physician of Ahmadu Bello whom the university is named after. He also travelled to the United States where he was employed as an associate research professor at the University of Rochester, New York, and wrapped up his education at the Ohio University in Athens, Ohio from 1964 until 1968. Ishaya Audu was the vice presidential candidate of the Nigeran People's Party which had Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe as its presidential candidate in 1979 presidential Election.

Political career

Audu was a member of the Nigeria Peoples Party when President Shehu Shagari gave Audu the position of Minister of External Affairs in 1979. He also served as Nigeria's Ambassador to the United Nations. After the 1983 overthrow of Shagari's government by General Muhammadu Buhari, Audu was detained for a year.

Family

He was happily married to Victoria Obosede Ohiorhe with six children.

Later life

After his release Audu took up private practice at his own hospital in Samaru; he also founded his own church. He died on August 29, 2005 while in the United States with his son, Paul Audu.