The Shagari Presidency will be remembered for his giant strides in encouraging women and youth in nation-building. On assumption to office, he gave directives to States to provide at least woman and one youth out of the seven nominees. During his campaign, he selected a woman from Imo State as his running mate, to be his Vice President. However, she declined after previously accepting, due to a lack of support from stakeholders in Southern Eastern Nigeria where the Vice Presidential Ticket was zoned to, it was the closest Nigerian women have ever been to the presidency. Nevertheless, the first female Ministers and diplomats in Nigeria were appointed by Shagari. He appointed Ebun Oyagbola as the Minister of National Planning and later Ambassador to the United Mexican States of Panama, Costa Rica and Guatemalan and Mrs. Janet Akinrinade as State Minister of Internal Affairs and two other female Ministers Mrs. Asinobi and Mrs. Ivasi. Similarly, Mrs. Elizabeth Ogbon was appointed Consul General to Hamburg Germany, Mrs. R Mohammed was Nigeria Ambassador to Bostwana and Zimbabwe.