Shettima, Ministers, Sultan, Others Attend Burial of Ex-Finance Minister Abubakar Alhaji in Sokoto

Vice President Kashim Shettima led a federal government delegation to Sokoto on Thursday to attend the funeral of Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, the former Minister of Finance and Sardaunan Sokoto. Alhaji passed away in an Abuja hospital on Thursday and was subsequently buried in Sokoto following Islamic traditions.

The funeral prayer took place at the Sultan Bello Juma’at Mosque, led by Chief Imam Sheikh Muhammad Bello Akwara. Vice President Shettima represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the ceremony. He was accompanied by several key members of the Federal Executive Council, including 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, Engineer Idris Muhammad Gobir, represented Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, who is currently abroad. The event drew prominent traditional and political figures from across the nation, including the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar. Attendees gathered to pay their final respects to the late elder statesman, who held a highly respected traditional title within the Sokoto Caliphate.

Tributes delivered at the burial lauded Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji as a dedicated patriot, skilled administrator, and a figure who fostered unity. Speakers emphasized his decades-long commitment to national development and his service to the Sokoto Sultanate. Alhaji previously served as Nigeria's Minister of Finance and as its High Commissioner to the United Kingdom in the 1990s. Prayers were offered for the repose of his soul, asking Allah to forgive his shortcomings and grant him paradise.