Sa’ad Abubakar III, sultan of Sokoto, has expressed concerns over the allegations that the current administration is pursuing an Islamic agenda.
Speaking in Kaduna during a two-day summit organised by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), the monarch said he was worried that people who were supposed to be elder statesmen were busy making provocative comments.
“I am always worried when Nigerians who are supposed to be elder statesmen make provocative comments about this government trying to Islamise Nigeria,” he said.
“I keep on asking, how? How do you Islamise a country like Nigeria that is probably 80 million Muslims, but we agreed that we are 50-50.
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“Are you going to invite America? Somebody so naive even said the visit of the US Secretary of State was to strengthen the Islamisation of programme of the leadership of the country.
“So, people should stop making this noise about Islamisation and herdsmen being used to Islamise the country and so many negative things.”
He admitted that the herdsmen crisis was a challenge, but spoke on personal steps that he had made to bring about peace.
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Abubakar advised the people to concentrate on finding solutions to problems rather than exploiting situations.
“If there are problems, of course there are, like the issue of herds men, there are very terrible herdsmen,” he said.
“The problem with herdsmen and farmers is purely about the economy. The herdsman wants food for his cattle, the farmer wants his farm produce to feed his family.
“We have tried to broker peace with Fulanis and Tivs in Nasarawa and Benue states. I have been to Makurdi four times for such meetings.
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“There are things that have been wrong with us as northerners, as leaders, as Christians, as Muslims. It’s a big problem for all of us and we are very worried that things like this are happening.”
He also raised the alarm on the situation in the north-east, drawing the attention of the authorities to the plight of internally displaced persons (IDPs).
He commended the Borno state government for its efforts in addressing the crisis, and called on northern governors to join hands in rebuilding the region.
“The issue of internally displaced people in the north-east, it seems that all of us have forgotten about them,” he said.
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“We must not abandon our brothers there. Billions of naira had been budgeted for them. Almost N100 billion was collected for the victims support fund by the former government, where is that money? Gen. Danjuma is the chairman of that fund.
“Our northern governors should come together and help to rebuild the north east; it is not the governor of Borno alone that can do it.
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“The camps are so bad, people are suffering. If nothing is done in the next few months, over 50,000 children will die. We don’t want that to happen because almighty Allah will ask us what have we done as leaders.”
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4 comments
The Sultan said “I keep on asking, how? How do you Islamise a country like Nigeria that is probably 80 million Muslims, but we agreed that we are 50-50.
Exactly that is the way Islamisation of Nigeria is taking place. Probability of 80 million Muslims according to the Sultan and an agreement of 50-50 according to him, does not amount to a Census fact figures. One day it will become a probability of a 100-0 Muslim and a 100-0 agreement according to him.
“We must not abandon our brothers there. Billions of naira had been budgeted for them. Almost N100 billion was collected for the victims support fund by the former government, where is that money? Gen. Danjuma is the chairman of that fund.
Hope I am not mistaking, Should this question not be directed to Gen. Danjuma himself who was the chairman of that fund? To the best of my knowledge he is not under any investigation concerning his chairmanship of that fund.
And has the food meant for the IDP camps that has been stolen now been recovered?
“If there are problems, of course there are, like the issue of herds men, there are very terrible herdsmen,” he said.“We have tried to broker peace with Fulanis and Tivs in Nasarawa and Benue states. I have been to Makurdi four times for such meetings.
Was this not the man that said “Fulani men are only after their cattle not after any government or its policies and programmes. How can they carry weapons, to go and do what with it? And later he added that those who carry guns and cause violence are foreigners.
Even as I totally agree with him when he said “If criminals are doing bad things, they are criminals and they can be found anywhere in any religion and tribe. Therefore don’t add religious or tribal toga to any act of terrorism.
I would like to remind him that it is actually the negligence of the Fulani led Federal authorities of Mohammed Buhari, who till date failed to initiate any move of either arresting and bringing them to justice or disarming them,instead rather going recklessly as far as making flimsy excuses why they should not act, but now goes arresting Judges at midnight in their Bedroom, that Inspired those ethnic insinuations.
Indeed as we can now see, what goes up will one day surely come down.
It seems you mixing up issues here. One minute you agree with the Sultan. Next minute you disagree with him on same issue. You can’t speak with 2 sides of mouth. You are exploiting the situation when you compare issue of violent herds men with the arrest of corrupt Judges.
Every crime should be dealt with by the authorities. The Sultan agreed. The herds men are dangerous with assault weapons. So are Boko Haram, armed robbers, kidnappers, rapists, and drug dealers who carry weapons to perpetrate their criminal activities. But I think the politicians aided by lawyers to corrupt the Judges could even be more dangerous to the society. Why? Because they are the ones whose actions consequencially create more criminals in the societly. They do this without physical weapon that common men can’t see. In China the punishment is death penalty after arrest that can take place any time of the day. You better better believe it.
Your statement; “Every crime should be dealt with by the authorities”.
Why then for God sake has the Buhari led federal authorities not shown any serious sign of dealing with the rampaging Fulani Herdsmen menace? Whose job is it to put that crime to control?
“I keep on asking, how? How do you Islamise a country like Nigeria that is probably 80 million Muslims, but we agreed that we are 50-50.
Mr Sultan of Nigeria – You know the answer. It is the same way you and the leadership of the country is pursuing the Islamic agenda. You want our elders to keep quite until you have achieved your aim? Go to government institutions, MDA’s and see the pattern of recruitment. What did this man tell Buhari when he was appointing all Islamic fundamentalist to key institutions of government. We are not deceived by your holier-than-thou attitude.
What did he do or say when their army slaughtered people at Agatu and other parts of Benue State? What did he do or say when the same Fulani Herdsmen variously killed and kidnapped people in Enugu state and the Presidency was ear-blocked and had no response? Why did he try to convince Nigerians that these armed herdsmen are foreigners? Why do they want to establish grazing fields in other peoples land?