Shettima to Sokoto govt: Sultan must be guarded jealously

BLESSING TAIWO with agency report

 

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has urged  the Sokoto State government that His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III. must be guarded jealously.

He gave the charge Monday at the opening of a two-day Summit on Peace and Security in the North-West, organised by the North-West Governors’ Forum, in collaboration with UNDP.

“Our father who is a permanent picture in all developmental issues in this country, His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto. I want to use him as my point of reference to recognise and appreciate all our royal fathers present here.”

“And to the Deputy Governor of Sokoto, I have a simple message for you. Yes, the Sultan  of Sokoto, but he is much more than that; he represents an idea. He is an institution that all of us in this country need to jealously guard, protect, promote, preserve and project for the good of our nation.”

Shettima spoke on the heels of an alarm raised by the Executive Director of Muslim Rights Council (MURIC), Prof. Isiaq Akintola, that the Sokoto government is allegedly plotting to depose the Sultan.

Governor Ahmed Aliyu had earlier deposed 15 traditional rulers for various offences recently.

But in his statement, Akintola said Nigerian Muslims would reject any thought of deposing the Sultan.

According to him, “Feelers in circulation indicate that the governor may descend on the Sultan of Sokoto any moment from now using any of the flimsy excuses used to dethrone the 15 traditional rulers whom he removed earlier.

“MURIC advises the governor to look before he leaps. The Sultan’s stool is not only traditional. It is also religious. In the same vein, his jurisdiction goes beyond Sokoto. It covers the whole of Nigeria. He is the spiritual head of all Nigerian Muslims.

“Therefore, any governor who tampers with the stool of the Sultan will have Nigerian Muslims to reckon with because the Sultan combines the office of the Sultan of Sokoto and that of the President General of the NSCIA,” Akintola said.

However, the Sokoto State Government is yet to react to MURIC’s allegation at the time of filing this report but it had earlier stated that there was a plan to amend section 76 of the local government and chieftaincy law to align with prevailing practices within the state.

Under the current law, the authority to appoint district and village heads lies with the Sultanate Council.

But in practice, the Sultanate Council merely provides recommendations to the state government, with the governor ultimately making the appointments.

 

Nasir Binji, the state’s attorney-general and commissioner for justice, had clarified that the proposed amendment aimed to synchronise the legal framework with the customary procedure in Sokoto.

 

It “ll take decades to get out of banditry – Sultan

 

Meanwhile, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Saad Abubakar III, says it will take decades for the bandit-ravaged North-West geo-political zone to come out of the menacing security challenge.

The President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) stated this at the North-West Peace and Security Summit in Katsina State on Monday.

He said: “What we must do is to challenge these bandits because we all know the consequences of banditry and insurgency on our lives. But it will take decades to get out of it if all we get out of it. We all know the consequences and the problems”.

He expressed the readiness of traditional rulers to partner with security agencies and the seven governors of the geopolitical zone to “save our region from the numerous problems” of banditry and insurgency.

He added that at the end of the summit, proposals to bring insurgency to the barest minimum for people to go about their lives and businesses would be arrived at.

 

Tinubu commits to addressing insecurity in North-West, nation

 

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has reiterated the commitment of his administration to address insecurity in the North-West and the country in general.

Tinubu gave the assurance on Monday in Katsina at the opening of a two-day Summit on Peace and Security in the North-West, organised by the North-West Governors’ Forum, in collaboration with UNDP.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the summit is: “Regional Cooperation for securing lives and livelihoods”.

Represented by the Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, the president urged Nigerians to continue to unite as a people and embrace peace for development.

“We promised to make Nigeria safe and the security agenda has been a top priority of the administration for the past one year. We are not slowing down until we achieve our goal,” he said.

Tinubu said that the government would continue  to ensure that every child goes to school and returns home safely, while the farmers would plant seeds in a secured environment.

The president said that the government was strengthening collaboration with all the stakeholders and it had intensified military operations to address the situation.

Tinubu, however, pointed out that it was disheartening that Hausa and Fulani, who have been one before, were now divided and fighting each other.

He stressed the need for them to embrace peace for the development of the zone and the country in general.

In his remarks, Gov. Dikko Radda of Katsina State, stressed the importance of confronting the menace collectively , saying,”because it is a concern to all.”

Radda said that their goal was to provide peace, security and ensure property in the region.

He urged that the summit must address the root causes of the insecurity to enable the governments to address the menace.

The governor revealed that ensuring every child access to quality education and youth empowerment would assist in tackling the menace.

The summit was graced by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Tinubu; ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, governors of the seven states in the North-West geopolitical zone, service chiefs and the Inspector General of Police.