Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, widely acknowledged as Nigeria’s longest-serving Minister of Finance and the esteemed Sardaunan Sokoto, has died at the age of 89 following a prolonged illness.
Family sources confirmed that the elder statesman passed away on Thursday at a hospital in Abuja, closing the chapter on a remarkable public service career spanning more than three decades in government and the civil service.
Born to the family of Muhammed Sani (popularly known as Alhaji Alhaji), he began his early education in Kano before moving to Government College, Katsina.
He later pursued higher education abroad, earning a degree in Political Economy from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, following studies at Bournemouth College of Commerce.
He further honed his expertise through professional training at the Hague Institute of Social Services in the Netherlands and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Institute in Washington, D.C.
He commenced his journey in the Nigerian Civil Service in 1964 as an Assistant Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance. Over the years, he held key portfolios across the Ministries of Finance, Trade, Industries, and National Planning, eventually rising to become Permanent Secretary in both the Trade and Finance ministries.
As Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, he was instrumental in managing Nigeria’s engagement with international creditors and served prominently on the country’s negotiation team for the Lomé II Agreement.
In 1988, the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida elevated him from Permanent Secretary to Minister of State for Budget and Planning.
He subsequently served as the substantive Minister of Finance between 1990 and 1991, navigating critical fiscal policies during a turbulent economic era.
Following his service at the federal cabinet level, he transitioned into international diplomacy in the mid-1990s, serving as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
Beyond his technocratic and political achievements, he was turbaned as the Sardaunan Sokoto in 1990, stepping into the revered traditional office left vacant since the 1966 assassination of the premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello.
He is remembered as one of Nigeria’s most accomplished public administrators and policy architects. Survived by his family, including his grandson Ibraheem Dasuki Aminu-Alhaji, funeral announcements are expected to be released by the family in due course.
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