Shehu Malami, a former Nigerian High Commissioner to South Africa, passed away.
After a brief illness, Mr. Malami, a descendant of Shehu Danfodio, passed away at age 85 on Monday in Cairo, Egypt.
He was formerly Wurno, Sokoto State’s Sarkin Sudan.
The late prince, according to a source at the Sultan Palace, was checked into a private hospital in Abuja before being airlifted out of the nation.
He will likely rest in the same place where sultans and other prominent family members are laid to rest—the Sultanate Burial Ground (Hubbare) in Sokoto.
President Muhammadu Buhari called Mr. Malami’s death “shocking” in his condolence letter.
“This is really sad and unexpected news. The news completely astounded me. Yet another illustration of how fleeting life is.
“He was a recognized businessman who believed in the strength of this nation’s economy. He was a classy conservative and a symbol of business and industry.
His passing leaves the country with a great loss. Condolences are extended to his family, friends, the Sultanate, the Sokoto State government, and the populace. The president issued the following statement through his media assistant, Garba Shehu: “May his soul rest in peace.”
Aminu Tambuwal, the governor of Sokoto State, declared that the nation had lost a precious gem.
He would be recognized as a storehouse of the standards and principles that keep the Sokoto Caliphate functioning. He was humble and intelligent. On the national stage, his understanding of the nation, its politics, and economy would also be missed, particularly at this point in another democratic transition.
In a statement, Mr. Tambuwal said, “I join His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, in praying for the peace of his soul on behalf of the government and good people of Sokoto state.
The Shehu Malami profile
The acclaimed diplomat, who was born in Sokoto in 1937, was known as “the Oxford guy,” especially among the Northern elite. He had his education in London, Katsina, Bida, and Sokoto. After being raised in the Sultan’s household, he worked for the Sultan Saddiq Abubakar III as a private secretary and later as a special assistant. Prior to becoming a technocrat and banker, he previously worked as a broadcaster for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
He was a student at Katsina Provincial School, Kano Provincial School, Sokoto Middle School, and Bida Provincial School. Additionally, he studied at Barnstaple’s North Davon Technical College before moving on to Middle Temple.
They had an argument—sort of a royal house quarrel—when his late uncle, Ibrahim Dasuki, was the Sultan of Sokoto, and as a result, Mr. Malami resigned from his roles as the Sarkin Sudan na Wurno and district head. One of the caliphate’s most esteemed princes was given exclusive use of the title.
He was a participant in the Geneva, Switzerland-based International Advisory Council of the World Economic Forum Foundation.
In addition to being one of Ecobank’s founders, he served as the former chairman of Union Bank, a director at Standard Chartered Bank, and the chairman of Costain West Africa.
Costain West Africa, the Nigeria Industrial Development Bank, the Tannery, Nigeria Pipes Ltd., Zaki Bottling Company, Shempat, Patterson Zachonis, PZ, Japan Petroleum Company, and Indo-Nigeria Merchant Bank were among the organizations he chaired or served on the board of.
