 In the lead-up to the return of democracy in 1999, he was legal advisor to the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto State.Shagari was appointed minister of Water Resources in June 2001.In December 2001, Shagari signed contracts for the N4.9 billion Hadeijah Valley Irrigation Project in Jigawa State and for the N468 million Egbe/Little Ose water supply project.