Prof. Sani Abubakar Lugga, the Waziri of Katsina, started work as a humble probationary Primary School teacher with the Katsina Native Authority Education Department in 1969. After his Diploma in Agriculture Course in 1970, he worked with the former North Central State Ministry of Agriculture as an Agricultural Assistant from 1971-1973 from where he gained admission into Kaduna Polytechnic for further studies. After his National Youth Service at Sokoto-Rima River Basin Development Authority in 1977/78, he joined Arewa Consultancy Centre, Kaduna, as an Agro-Marketing Services Executive in 1978. In 1979, he was appointed as the first Administrative Manager of the German based Northern Cable Processing and Manufacturing Company Ltd, (NOCACO), Kaduna. In 1981, he was appointed as the first Group Marketing Manager for Sambo Farms Ltd Funtua, Hamada Carpets Ltd Katsina and Hamada Agricultural Company Ltd, Kaduna. He was later appointed as the General Manager of Sambo Farms Ltd. in 1983. In 1984, Prof. Sani moved back to the German based Northern Cable Processing and Manufacturing Company Ltd. (NOCACO), where he became the first Nigerian to attain a General Management position. He was second only to the German Managing Director of the Company.
After his voluntary retirement from NOCACO in 1992, he went into private business. He was appointed as the Honourable Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport in Katsina State in January 1994 and he honourably resigned in November of the same year. He then went back into private business that includes property development, printing and publishing, investments, agriculture and other commercial and industrial businesses.
As a Trustee and Secretary General of Katsina Islamic Foundation, Prof. Sani Abubakar Lugga shouldered the main responsibility for the establishment of the first community owned Islamic University in Nigeria in 2005. The University has already graduated several sets of students. He had been a Senior Lecturer at that University (now called Al-Qalam University) for several years, a service he rendered without receiving any salary or allowances. He is currently chairing the Provisional Governing Council for the establishment of the At-Tanzeel (Islamic) University, Kano, the first of such a University in Kano State of Nigeria. Prof. Sani was appointed as an Associate Professor and later, in August 2015, promoted to a Visiting Professor of Management Studies at St. Clements Private Swiss University Business School. The University is a member of St. Clements Education Group that has on-campus and distance learning colleges and tertiary institutions and affiliates in many countries in Europe, Asia, Central America and Africa. Prof. Sani was also, in October 2017, appointed as a Visiting Professor at Ecole Superieure Universitaire, Cotonou, Benin Republic, which is a private French and English Bilingual University.