By Umar Danladi Ado, Sokoto
The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON, has joined other dignitaries in Sokoto State for the burial of former Minister of Finance, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, who passed away on Thursday at a hospital in Abuja.
The late Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, who was also the Sardaunan Sokoto, was buried in Sokoto on Thursday according to Islamic rites.
The funeral prayer was led by the Chief Imam of Sultan Bello Juma’at Mosque, Sokoto, Sheikh Muhammad Bello Akwara, and was attended by Vice President Shettima, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Other dignitaries at the funeral included the Minister of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, and the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu.
The Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Engr. Idris Muhammad Gobir, represented Governor Ahmed Aliyu, who is currently out of the country.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Speaker of the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Tukur Bala Bodinga, and other prominent personalities from across Nigeria also attended the funeral prayer.
Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji served as Nigeria’s Minister of Finance from 1990 to 1991. He also served as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
As the Sardaunan Sokoto, he was widely respected as an elder statesman and a prominent traditional title holder within the Sokoto Caliphate.
Tributes poured in during the burial, with dignitaries describing him as a patriot, an outstanding administrator, and a bridge builder whose contributions to national development would remain memorable.
May Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Aljannah Firdaus. Ameen.
