By Gbolahan Salman
A former Group Chief Executive of New Nigeria Development Company (NNDC), Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, has described the late Sardaunan Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, as an exceptional technocrat, statesman and mentor whose contributions to Nigeria’s economic development transcended generations.
Hayatu-Deen, in a tribute titled “The Measure of a Man: Tribute to Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji,” said the late elder statesman devoted almost six decades to public service and earned international recognition for his expertise in financial management, economic planning and international financial diplomacy.
According to him, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji was “one of the nation’s, and indeed the world’s, foremost technocrats,” whose intellectual capacity and commitment to public service enabled him to make significant contributions to Nigeria, Africa and the international community.
He recalled that the late Sardauna was educated in England after graduating from Katsina Government College and was sent abroad for higher education by the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto.
Hayatu-Deen said Alhaji Abubakar attended Bournemouth College of Commerce and the University of Reading, where he obtained a degree in Political Economy in 1964, before undertaking postgraduate programmes at The Hague Institute of Social Sciences and the IMF Institute in Washington, D.C.
He said the deceased later joined the Federal Ministry of Finance, where he rose through the ranks to become Permanent Secretary and established himself as a leading authority in economic management and international financial negotiations.
“His skills in debt negotiations and international financial diplomacy, in particular, were legendary,” Hayatu-Deen stated, adding that his influence was felt in negotiations involving the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Paris Club and London Club.
He recalled his first encounter with the late technocrat in 1984, when he was a relatively inexperienced 30-year-old Group Chief Executive of NNDC and approached Alhaji Abubakar for assistance in securing international financial and technical partnerships.
According to him, Alhaji Abubakar immediately placed his extensive network at NNDC’s disposal, making calls to top officials of international financial institutions and providing contacts to facilitate meetings.
When Hayatu-Deen requested formal letters of introduction, he said the late Sardauna replied: “Young man, I don’t give letters or handwritten notes. Word of mouth is enough.”
He added that within six months, NNDC had secured engagements in London, Brussels, Washington, New York and Vienna, including a major credit line from the European Investment Bank.
Hayatu-Deen also described Alhaji Abubakar as a mentor who was deeply concerned about the welfare and future of younger professionals.
He recalled how the deceased would visit him in Kaduna and often insist on having dinner at his home, where they discussed Nigeria’s economy, governance and the plight of poor and vulnerable citizens.
“He passionately wanted Nigeria to get going in the image of the emerging Asian Tigers,” Hayatu-Deen said.
He also recounted two journeys they made together to Saudi Arabia for lesser Hajj in 1992 and 1994, describing the experiences as opportunities through which he gained deeper insight into the late Sardauna’s character, faith and worldview.
According to Hayatu-Deen, years after their second pilgrimage, he asked Alhaji Abubakar why he had invited him on the trips.
He quoted the late elder statesman as saying: “You have been carrying on your young shoulders the colossal burdens of managing complex and politically charged institutions… But because you have been totally consumed by your duties, you never seemed to look over your shoulder to see the gathering storms all around you.”
He said Alhaji Abubakar further explained that the purpose was to encourage him to pray, give thanks to Allah and seek divine protection from the challenges of life.
Hayatu-Deen said the response demonstrated the depth of the deceased’s concern for those he mentored.
“He invested himself in people with the same commitment that he brought to public service,” he stated.
Describing the late Sardauna’s legacy, Hayatu-Deen said he represented different things to different people: a custodian of Sokoto’s heritage, a consummate technocrat to public servants, a respected negotiator to the international financial community and a mentor and protector to younger generations.
“To me, he was all of these,” he said.
“He was one of those rare souls who carried greatness with remarkable ease, wore authority with quiet humility, and never allowed rank or accomplishment to diminish his humanity.”
Hayatu-Deen prayed that Almighty Allah would forgive the deceased’s shortcomings and grant him Aljannatul Firdaus, while extending his condolences to the Sultan of Sokoto, the government and people of Sokoto State and the late Sardauna’s family.
