FOR THE RECORD: Sultan, Nigeria and the Muslim Ummah: What cynics must get right
Sometimes some cynics in Nigeria exhibits the kind of ignorance that one finds difficult to forgive. To think that the personality and royalty of Sultan of Sokoto can be dragged in the mud because of his name appears in matter of state is, nonetheless, the worst habit that any human being can display. This multifaceted leader is not anybody’s enemy.
I have said it repeatedly that it is not possible for any politician to think that Sultan can be ordered around to suit his own political good at the expense of other. No. He is a father and he is the only such person in the sub-saharan African most qualified to be, by his status as Chairman, National Traditional Rulers Council of Nigeria co-chaired only by the Ooni of Ife and President General, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) leading the over 100 million Muslims in the Africa’s most populous country.
No one should lose sight quickly of the fact that Sultan of Sokoto, currently being His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, is Co-President, Council of World Religions for Peace, headquartered in New York, United States of America and has always be the one and most directly thought of, when it comes international enquiries for fact-finding about peace and unity in Nigeria and beyond.
How, locally, some elements would think that because the Sultan has relationship with one of them but who is not of their political leaning makes him enemy of government at the centre or enemy of state remains a question that must be answered, if not now, in the near future. This behaviour must stop.
I believe you are not asking the father to quick life because he does not want to tagged partisan by followers of each of his two or more sons who are pursuing political goals in difficult political parties. And I will start from my last intervention on similar development when supporters of Aliyu Wammako disrespectfully protested touching the gate of the Amirul Mu’mineen of Nigeria because he still threw his door open to Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who was then already sitting Governor of Sokoto State, simply because he had defected from All Progressives Congress (APC) to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
That time I took the next available flight from the Murtala Muhammed Airport Ikeja, Lagos, which touched the ground at the Sultan Abubakar International Airport,Sokoto, at noon and I drove straight to Sultan Abubakar Way where the Martabah of the Leader of the Ummah is located and then, at an audience with the Mai Alfarma, I got to know what happened: over rumoured support for PDP against APC. The Sultan that I know would not separate between two sons. PDP candidate, Tambuwal, has been his Mutawalle while the APC’s candidate Ahmed Aliyu is direct son of Sokoto town where the Sultan sits on the throne. And the immediate past governor, Wammako, is one of sons of Sokoto that has been honoured with chieftaincy of the Sultanate under the Sultanate. What manner of satanism would provide that rumour of taking side that those youths of APC bought? Anyway, this mention is only for the record because I understand the party leadership had since apologised regrettably.
