FORMER Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki, is dead. He died yesterday and will be buried today, according to Muslim rites.
The late Sultan Dasuki, father of ex-National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, was deposed in 1996 by the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, after he was installed by Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, in 1988. He was on the throne for eight years before his deposition and banishment to Zing, in Taraba State.
Dasuki was the first Sultan from the Buhari line of the House of Dan Fodio. He was a close associate of Ahmadu Bello and held the traditional title of Baraden Sokoto before becoming Sultan.
The late Sultan attended Dogondaji Elementary School before proceeding to Sokoto Middle School in 1935. He finished his secondary education at Barewa College on sponsorship from Sokoto Native Authority.
After finishing high school in 1943, he worked as a clerk in the treasury office of the Sokoto Native Authority. In 1945, he took up appointment with Gaskiya Corporation, a publishing house that published the Hausa daily, Gaskiya Ta Fi Kwabo.
He joined the civil service as an executive officer and later became private secretary to Ahmadu Bello. In 1957, he filled the position of regional executive council deputy secretary and was sent to Jeddah as Nigeria’s pilgrimage officer.
Between 1960 and 1961, Dasuki worked in the Nigerian embassy in Khartoum, Sudan and was later brought back to Nigeria by Ahmadu Bello to work in Jos, following which he became the permanent secretary in the regional Ministry of Local Government.
Responding, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, said “across the board, most agencies we have gone to, we find that capital releases has been phenomenal in comparison to the last sixteen years. I stand to be corrected on this.”
Senator Hunkuyi said, “there are explanations that should come from here, and additional explanations from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. We need this information to be able to understand what is going on.
“This committee is duty bound to investigated and define the nature of the problem with a view to finding solutions to these poblems, if indeed there are.”
The lawmaker who represents Kaduna North senatorial district in the National Assembly, while commending NAHCON’s chairman for his achievements so far, also requested the commission to come up with strong arguments to justify it’s request for increased funding.
“It is commendable that despite the releases made to the commission, you have been able to utilize what was given in such a way that you achieved so much. Therefore, asking for more funding would raise concerns as to why you are making such a request since you. We’re able to realise so much with little. However, I think if the commission wants more funding, it has to come up with strong explanations to back its demands,” Hunkuyi said.
In his response to queries raised by Senators over zero allocation for the commission, the Chairman of the commission, explained to the committee that all attempt to have the Finance ministry to allocate funds for capital projects failed.
Mukhtar, who disclosed that the commission had proposed N500 million for capital expenditure in the 2016 budget, explained that a mixture occurred which led to said sum being shifted to NAHCOM’s offshore expenditure profile.
The development, he added, made it impossible for the funds to be assessed, a position which the budget office stated was beyond its powers to revisit.
He recalled that NAHCON approached the relevant senate and house committees charged with oversight of the commission to intervene in the matter, but was still unable to get the approval of the finance ministry for capital allocation.
He therefore called on the Senate to give its support by way of input in the 2017 budget, needed to enhance NAHCON’s performance to be at par with international standards.
On his path, Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Character, Senator Tijjani Kaura (APC, Zamfara North), said that the reason for the panel’s oversight visit to the commission was for it to be briefed on the implementation of the 2016 budget.
The lawmaker who assured of the National Assembly’s readiness to assist the efforts of the commission through legislation, added that same would in no small measure enhance the performance of the commission’s operations.