Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, former Nigerian Minister of Finance and the Sardauna of Sokoto, has died. He was 88.
Family sources told Daily Trust that the elder statesman passed away on Thursday morning, July 30, 2026, at a hospital in Abuja after a brief illness.
Alhaji had a long career in public service that spanned more than three decades. He started in 1964 as an Assistant Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance. By 1975 he was Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Trade, and in 1979 he returned to Finance as Permanent Secretary.
In that role he handled Nigeria’s dealings with external creditors and was part of the team that negotiated the Lomé II Agreement. His record for competence led to his appointment in 1988 as Minister of State for Budget and Planning under General Ibrahim Babangida.
He later served as Minister of National Planning and then as Minister of Finance from 1990 to 1991. That period included the implementation of structural adjustment programs and closer engagement with international financial institutions.
In 1992, after leaving the Finance Ministry, he was posted to London as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. He held the post until mid-1996, when the military government of General Sani Abacha named Ambassador Uche Okeke as his replacement. He was known in diplomatic circles for a calm and measured style.
Outside government, Alhaji carried one of Northern Nigeria’s highest traditional titles. He was turbaned Sardauna of Sokoto in 1990, succeeding the title once held by the late Sir Ahmadu Bello. As a direct descendant of Shehu Usmanu Danfodiyo, he was widely seen as a custodian of the values and heritage of the Sokoto Caliphate.
Tributes have begun pouring in for the late statesman, remembered for his service across finance, planning, and diplomacy.
