Former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Sardaunan Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, is dead.
The elder statesman died on Thursday morning at Alliance Hospital, Abuja, where he had been receiving treatment for several weeks after being transferred from the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto.
The Dikkon Sokoto, Alhaji Ya’u Dogon Daji, who is also a relative of the deceased, confirmed the development to our correspondent, saying Alhaji had been ill for almost a month before his death.
“He was first admitted at UDUTH in Sokoto before he was transferred to Alliance Hospital in Abuja, where he eventually died,” he said.
Dogon Daji added that the late diplomat appeared to be recovering, noting that he spoke with him two days before his death.
“He told me he was getting better and hoped to return to Sokoto very soon. That was my last conversation with him,” he added.
The Dikkon Sokoto also recalled that the late elder statesman had once told him that he was 94 years old.
During one of Daily Trust’s visits to his residence along Wurno Road in Sokoto, the deceased said he had withdrawn from active public engagements and devoted most of his time to reading the Holy Qur’an and worshipping Allah.
Dogon Daji disclosed that the funeral prayer (Salatul Janazah) for the late Sardauna would be held at Sultan Bello Mosque, Sokoto, at about 4 p.m. on Thursday, after which he would be laid to rest at the royal cemetery, Hubbaren Shehu.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, was expected to arrive in Sokoto ahead of the funeral rites.
When contacted, the Secretary to the Sultanate Council, Alhaji Sa’idu Maccido, said he had not yet been formally briefed on the development.
Until his death, Alhaji held the revered traditional title of Sardaunan Sokoto, a title historically associated with the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, who died in 1966.
Distinguished public service career
Alhaji joined the Nigerian Civil Service in 1964 and rose through the ranks of the Federal Ministry of Finance. He served in several strategic positions, including Principal Assistant Secretary, Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Trade, and later Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance.
During his tenure at the Finance Ministry, he played a key role in managing Nigeria’s relations with external creditors and was a member of the country’s negotiating team for the Lomé II Convention.
In 1988, the military administration of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida appointed him Minister of State for Budget and Planning. He subsequently served as Minister of Finance from 1990 to 1991.
In the mid-1990s, he was appointed Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, where he represented the country’s diplomatic interests in London.
Beyond his national assignments, Alhaji also served as Special Adviser on Economic Affairs to the governments of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states.
The late statesman was a nephew of the late Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki and also his son-in-law, having married the Sultan’s eldest daughter.
He is survived by his wife, five children, grandchildren and other relatives. Among his children are Hajiya Aisha Abubakar, former Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, and Aminu Alhaji, a former Special Adviser to former Sokoto State Governor Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.
His death marks the end of a long and distinguished career in Nigeria’s civil service, economic management, diplomacy and traditional leadership, spanning more than five decades of public service.