By Abdulbaki Ibrahim
When a man lives to 100, he does not just live a long life. He lives many lives in one.
Alh. Abubakar Muhammad Sanga lived as a teacher, as an administrator, as an electoral umpire, as a father of ten, and as a grandfather whose house in Unguwan Sanusi, Kaduna, became a school of character.
He passed away in the early hours of Monday, November 9, 2026, at his home in Kaduna, after a period of illness. He was about 100 years old.
His Janaza was held that same Monday afternoon at Danfodio Mosque, Unguwan Sanusi, and he was laid to rest at Bashama Cemetery, surrounded by family, friends, and the many people whose lives he touched.
For Kaduna, his death is not just the loss of an elder. It is the closing of a chapter of honest public service.
FROM CLASSROOM TO COMMISSION
Alh. Sanga began his career in 1960 as a teacher – at a time when a teacher was not just a worker, but a builder of a new nation.
From the classroom, he rose to become Education Officer in Jama’a Local Authority, and later Administrator of Sanga Local Government Area.
He went on to serve as the pioneer Chairman of the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KADSIECOM), and later as Resident Electoral Commissioner in Oyo State during the administration of General Sani Abacha.
In every office, he carried the same quiet discipline: do the work, fear God, leave the place better than you met it.
THE FATHER BEHIND THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR
But beyond all the titles, his greatest pride was simple.
His daughter, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, Deputy Governor of Kaduna State.
Born on 26 August 1966 in Sanga LGA, Dr. Hadiza grew up watching her father serve. She became a medical doctor, a public health physician, and in 2019, the first female Deputy Governor of Kaduna State – first as running mate to former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and later retained by Governor Uba Sani for the 2023 election.
In a 2020 interview, Alh. Sanga said her emergence as deputy governor was one of the happiest moments of his life.
He was a PDP man, but when his daughter was chosen, he left the party to support her. His reason was pure and fatherly: he did not want to oppose his own daughter politically.
That is the kind of father he was. Principles, yes. But family first.
A HOUSE OF CONDOLENCE
Since the news broke, the residence of the Deputy Governor in Kaduna has become a house of condolence, with guests trooping in to comfort her and the family.
Governor Uba Sani, speaking on behalf of the Kaduna State Government and its people, said the loss of a parent is painful, and that the family was in his thoughts and prayers.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, also condoled, praying for forgiveness for the deceased and strength for the family.
Hon. Daniel Amos, member representing Jema’a/Sanga Federal Constituency, also paid tribute to a man he described as a pillar.
WHAT HE LEFT BEHIND
Alh. Sanga is survived by 10 children, including the Deputy Governor, grandchildren, and a legacy that cannot be buried.
He left behind a name that is still respected in Sanga, in Jama’a, in Kaduna, and beyond. He left behind a daughter who is still serving the state he loved. He left behind students who became leaders, and a community that still remembers his fairness.
A man who lives 100 years does not die empty. He dies full – full of service, full of prayers, full of children who will continue his story.