By Mahmoud Muhammad Bureau Chief North-West
Nigeria is paying tribute to one of its most respected technocrats and traditional title holders, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, the former Minister of Finance and Sardauna of Sokoto, following news of his passing.
A calm administrator who rose through the ranks of the civil service, Alhaji was widely regarded as a steady hand during some of Nigeriaās most turbulent economic periods in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Born to the family of Muhammed Sani ā he was also known as “Alhaji Alhaji” because he was born on Sallah day and later performed the pilgrimage to Mecca ā he embodied the discipline of public service and the dignity of the Sokoto Caliphate. 67a6
4. His education took him from Kano and Katsina Government College to Bournemouth College of Commerce and the University of Reading, Berkshire, where he earned a degree in political economy. He also took courses at the Hague Institute of Social Services and the IMF Institute in Washington. 67a6
5. Alhaji joined the Nigerian civil service in 1964 as an Assistant Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance. By 1975 he had become Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Trade, and in 1979 he returned to Finance as Permanent Secretary.
6. In that role he managed Nigeriaās relationship with external creditors and served on the Nigerian negotiating team for the Lome II agreement. His reputation for quiet competence earned him further promotion under General Babangida as Minister of State, Budget and Planning in 1988. 67a6
7. Between 1990 and 1991, he served as Minister of Finance, a period remembered for structural adjustment debates and Nigeriaās engagement with international financial institutions. 67a6
8. In the mid-1990s he represented Nigeria abroad as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, bringing the same measured approach to diplomacy that defined his time in Abuja. 67a6
Beyond government, Alhaji held one of the most revered traditional titles in the North. He was turbaned Sardauna of Sokoto in 1990 ā the title previously held by Sir Ahmadu Bello, who died in 1966. As Sardauna, he was seen as a custodian of the values of the Sokoto Caliphate. 67a6
Colleagues recall him as a long-serving Permanent Secretary who worked across multiple administrations, and as a senior brother to the late Aliyu Dasuki, linking him closely to Sokotoās royal and administrative lineage. 67a6
Throughout his career, Alhaji was noted less for public pronouncements and more for institution-building ā mentoring younger civil servants, insisting on due process, and maintaining Nigeriaās credibility with creditors and partners.
His passing marks the end of an era for a generation of administrators who combined technocratic expertise with traditional leadership. Tributes are expected from the Presidency, the Sultanate Council, and former colleagues who served with him in Finance, Planning, and the diplomatic service.
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