Vice President Kashim Shettima on Thursday led a Federal Government delegation to Sokoto for the burial of former Minister of Finance and Sardaunan Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, who passed away earlier today in Abuja.

Representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Shettima joined top government officials, traditional rulers, politicians and hundreds of mourners at the funeral prayer held at the Sultan Bello Juma’at Mosque, where the late elder statesman was buried in accordance with Islamic rites.

The funeral prayer was led by the Chief Imam of the mosque, Sheikh Muhammad Bello Akwara.

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Among those in attendance were the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi; Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu; Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Engr. Idris Muhammad Gobir, who represented Governor Ahmed Aliyu; the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III; Speaker of the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Tukur Bala Bodinga; former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal; Hon. Abdulsamad Dasuki; Sambo Dasuki; Abubakar Dasuki; lawmakers, serving and former ministers, senior government officials, traditional rulers and religious leaders.

Alhaji, a renowned economist and accomplished public administrator, held several strategic positions in the country’s public service.

He served as Minister of National Planning before his appointment as Minister of Finance under the administration of former military President Ibrahim Babangida.

He also served as Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to national development and the Sokoto Caliphate, he was installed as the Sardaunan Sokoto in 1990.

In a separate tribute, veteran journalist and Senior Special Assistant to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Mallam Yusuf Dingyadi, described the late statesman as a man of integrity, humility and uncommon generosity.

Dingyadi said his relationship with the deceased dated back to their journalism days and was strengthened through their activities in the Association of Nigerian Authors, describing him as a mentor who always made himself available to support others.

“He was a man who loved people without discrimination, rejected selfishness and dedicated his life to serving humanity,” Dingyadi said.

He added that the late Sardaunan Sokoto remained accessible to people from all walks of life and left behind a legacy of patriotism, selfless service and exemplary leadership.

As news of his passing spread, tributes poured in from across Nigeria, with political leaders, traditional rulers and associates remembering Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji as an exceptional technocrat, elder statesman and nation builder whose contributions to governance and national development will be remembered for generations.