A Tribute to Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji CON, KBE: A Masterclass in Leadership and Humanity

• Guest Columnist By Sen. Ibrahim M. Ida, Ph.D, CON

It is with profound respect and a heavy heart that I honor the memory of Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji CON, KBE the Sardauna of Sokoto.

To the nation, he was an exceptional civil servant, a brilliant Minister of Budget and Planning, an effective and hands-on  Minister of Finance, and a distinguished High Commissioner to the United Kingdom*. He was rightly described as a “super civil servant,” a financial colossus, and a diplomatic giant.

To those of us privileged to serve under him, however, he was much more. He was a leader, a protector, and a cherished mentor. He was the kind of general who would go to any extent to protect his troops. He always led from the front, never from the rear.

My journey with Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji began when I was on secondment to the Katsina State Government as Commissioner of Finance. As Federal Minister of Finance, he chaired the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, of which I was a member. With my banking background, I was able to scrutinize the papers presented by the Accountant General of the Federation and raise cogent issues. That diligence endeared me to him.

It ultimately led to my transfer to the Federal Civil Service and a posting to the Federal Ministry of Finance. On resumption, I faced some hostility from those who wanted a different person in that department. But “Triple A,” as we fondly called him, would have none of it. He had specifically asked for someone with my background and aptitude. The Hon. Minister had his way, and in the end, even those who initially opposed the decision came to admit he was right.

He kept me very close. When he was turbaned as the Sardauna of Sokoto, he involved me, alongside his Special Assistant, Alh. Jibrin, in the arrangements. To Alh. Jibrin, wherever you are, I extend my warm greetings and prayers.

He was such a steady hand at a historic moment. My closeness to the Sardauna peaked at a historic crossroads for Nigeria: the formal relocation of the Federal Capital from Lagos to Abuja in April 1992. As a Director in the Federal Ministry of Finance, I stood alongside him during that monumental move under the leadership of President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.

Moving the nation’s financial engine was a Herculean task with immense logistical and administrative pressure. Yet under his steady guidance, the transition was seamless. He absorbed the stress of the era so that his directors could execute their duties with clarity and confidence.

It was during this period that he began to say privately that the time had come for him to rest from active public service — that he had served long enough. His subsequent appointment as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom was, to me, a fitting reward at the right time.

He was a Leader defined by humility. Beyond his undisputed intellect, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji’s greatest attribute was his humanity. In an environment often defined by rigid bureaucracy, he chose kindness and consideration. He did not merely manage personnel; he cared for people. He listened, he mentored, and he treated every public servant under his purview with deep respect.

My last earthly contact with him was sometimes in 2024, at his residence in Sokoto. I was then Pro-Chancellor of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and I made it a point to visit him. He was frail in body, but his mind was sharp and his intellect intact. I was amazed that he could recall events, incidents, and people with such clarity — details that I, the much younger one, had to strain to remember.

That was Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, the Sardauna of Sokoto, for you. That is the Boss, the Leader, the Mentor, and the person I will continue to remember. That is the persona he was to me. The persona he was to Aminu and the others who had the privilege and blessing of having such a worthy father.

His greatest legacy to me is that Nigeria has lost a statesman of rare quality. But that legacy lives on securely in the institutions he built, the policies he shaped, and the leaders he painstakingly raised. He was born 22nd February 1938 in Sokoto, and rose through the ranks to become one of the most respected Permanent Secretaries and Ministers of his generation. His service across Finance, Health, and Foreign Affairs set a gold standard for public service in Nigeria.

May his noble soul rest in eternal peace.

Allah SWT Ya jikansa da gafara, Yasa Aljanna Firdaus ta kasance makomar sa. Amin!.

Sen. Ibrahim M. Ida, Ph.D, CON is Wazirin Katsina