Former finance minister Abubakar Alhaji dies at 94

Former Minister of Finance and Sardaunan Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, has died at the age of 94.

Daily Post and Daily Trust reported that his death was confirmed on Thursday. Daily Trust said he died in Abuja after receiving treatment for several weeks, first at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital in Sokoto and later at Alliance Hospital in Abuja.

Alhaji served as Nigeria’s Minister of Finance between 1990 and 1991 under former military president Ibrahim Babangida. He had earlier served as Minister of State for Budget and Planning in 1988.

He was also a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Nigeria’s former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. In Sokoto, he held the traditional title of Sardaunan Sokoto, a title once held by the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello.

Daily Trust reported that a relative, Dikkon Sokoto Alhaji Ya’u Dogon Daji, said Alhaji had been ill for almost a month before his death. The report said funeral prayers were expected to hold at Sultan Bello Mosque in Sokoto before burial at Hubbaren Shehu.

Daily Post described him as a long-serving administrator who worked across government, the traditional institution and the corporate sector.

Sources: Daily Post, Daily Trust