Handshake across Niger, as Sultan of Sokoto’s delegation visits new Baba Adinni of Lagos, Alabi-Macfoy

*Sultan, Sarkin Fulani of Lagos virtues extolled

*Working relationship with Northerners has been in our DNA, it will continue – Baba Adinni

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

The Sultan of Sokoto has congratulated the newly elected Baba Adinni of Lagos, Alhaji Sikiru Alabi-Macfoy.

Alabi-Macfoy, who was Executive Vice Chairman of Lagos Central Mosque, is Bashorun of Lagos and now by his emergence the 14th Baba Adinni of Lagos.

Alhaji Alabi-Macfoy’s emergence followed a keenly contested but freely and fairly conducted election on Wednesday January 24, 2024 at the Lagos Central Mosque, Idumota.

Congratulating the new Baba Adinni of Lagos, Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, who is President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Co-President of the World Regions for Peace headquartered in the New York, described him as a worthy successor to preceding Baba Adinni in Alhaji AbdulWahab Iyanda Folawiyo and the immediate past Baba Adinni Sheikh AbdulHafeez Abou, who died recently at the age of 101.

A statement by the Media Team of the Sultan of Sokoto, released to the Nigerian Press on Wednesday February 7, 2024, gave details of the visit which happened in Lagos on Monday February 5.

The Sultan’s delegation, led by the Sarkin Fulani of Lagos and Chairman South West Council of Fulani Chiefs, His Royal Highness Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Banbado II, arrived the Lagos Central Mosque office of the Baba Adinni where they were received and the message of the Leader of over 100 million Muslims of Nigeria was delivered to him.

Speaking on behalf of the Sultan, Alhaji Banbado II congratulated Alhaji Sikiru Alabi-Macfoy and prayed that his time will bring limitless good to the Muslim Community of Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole.

To underscore the importance and profoundness of the respect accorded occupant of the Office of Baba Adinni of Lagos, the Sultan needed a very senior and respected personality with good moral standing to lead a delegation that he would send and Sarki Fulani of Lagos, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Banbado II, fitted very prominently into that national assignment.

In carrying out the assignment, Banbado II, who had already flown into Abuja from Lagos en-route Minna, Niger State for a condolence visit, had to fly back to Lagos to underscore the importance of the Sultan delegation to the Baba Adinni of Lagos before again flying back to Abuja to continue his own private visit to Minna, on Monday February 5, 2024.

The Sarkin Fulani said, “The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, asked us to be here to give you his best wishes that may your reign bring peace and harmony to the Muslim Ummah.

“He had wanted to be here but because of other engagements, he asked us to come personally. That is why we are here,” he said

Responding, the Baba Adinni of Lagos, Alhaji Sikiru Alabi-Macfoy, thanked the Sultan for his extension of a handshake across the Niger in a way, according to him, the Leader of Muslims in Africa’s most populous country has since his ascension to the throne on November 2, 2002 has been able to successfully establish and achieve a strong and indivisible connection between Northern and Southern Muslims.

“We thank God for his mercies that all the Baba Adinnis, including the immediate past one, had done all their best for the Muslim Ummah and for the Lagos Central Mosque where we are known as Jama’atu Muslim, because all Muslims are one. You can see from the environment as you were coming. It has always been like that, especially in Lagos.

“Working relationship with Northerners has been in our DNA and it will continue to be, because Lagos is cosmopolitan, very accommodating and we will continue to do our best in ensuring that we spread the message and use Islam to talk to the people, particularly at this point in time that it seems like everything is getting out of hand. Only God can make it right and to get it right, it’s for us to tell him.

“I remember the late and immediate past Baba Adinni, to whom I was very close, and we talked a lot about things that were going on and it was clear that he was not happy with the way things were going; the kidnappings and all of that. And he would ask that has he not overstayed his presence?

“He would say that, “When we have situation like this, if all Muslims can come out and just be saying: ‘Laillaha illaAllah’! ‘Laillaha illaAllah’!! ‘Laillaha illaAllah’!!! and do so going round in all areas telling him to help us change our situation for better and doing that praying by also adding good work and taking progressives and developmental actions, God will do it for us.’

“The Sultan of Sokoto is fully aware of the religious personality of the late Baba Adenni (Sheikh AbdulHafeez Abou) and his contributions to the development of Islam in Southern Nigeria. That is why anytime we met him, he would ask: ‘What about my friend? Greet my friend, Baba Adinni, for me.

“He had a very good relationship with the Sultan of Sokoto. We thank God for his life and we are going to make sure that we do everything within our capacity to continue with the good relationship and work cordially together with the Sultan in ensuring that everything is put right again.

Prayer for government success

“I would like to seize this opportunity to urge continued prayers to God for this government to be able to achieve what it decided to do for the nation because, the situation is bad but to be able to do or make it good and even better, it takes a lot of sacrifices and sufferings.

“However, our prayer is that, may the result of the sufferings be beneficial to us, our families and the entire people of Nigeria because, to get things right, individuals must pray and stand up to that prayer with good intention, good work and development actions and respect for one another and the rule of law. The love of country must also be entrenched in the heard of everyone. Then the prayer will come through,” the Baba Adinni of Lagos said, which clarifies to people who try to re-write the book of nature with insinuation that prayers do not change a condition by making them realise that with God is not fool and that if anyone has asked him for anything, he add good work to that prayer.

According to him, “During the Second World War, it was sad: “If you want peace, you must prepare for war”. This time, we have to prepare for war but not the war of gun; war of prayers, war of good intention and war of behaving in the right way that will make things better for all of us.”

Virtues of Sultan Abubakar

Praising the virtues of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, Baba Adinni Alabi-Macfoy described him as a man of the people.

“This Sultan is different completely.  Anytime he came to Lagos, after event and we escorted him home when he was living at his house at Alfred Rewane Way, we would sit down and he would say: “I am a Lagos boy”. And he was very close to one of our leaders, Dr. Jubril Oyekan. He is supposed to be here and he is on his way. They are good friends and he would ask about his wife and children.

“That shows that the Sultan has been able to establish strong relationship based on peace and stability between the two tribes and, particularly, within the religion of Islam in Nigeria. He has restored the unity of Muslims in Nigeria to the extent that today, all Muslims in the country are one. That is why we call Lagos Central Mosque Jam’atul Muslim and that is why we are Centre of Excellence,” he appreciated the Sultan for sending a high-powered delegation of the Sarkin Fulani of Lagos, His Royal Highness Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Banbado II, to visit and honour him in his own base of Lagos.