How Muslims should treat ‘The Sultan Foundation’ – Sultan

By OUR REPORTER, Minna

As the one-day Traditional and Religious Conference on Significance of Girls Education in North Central ended in Minna, Niger State capital on Tuesday, the Sultan of Sokoto Caliphate, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, tasked Muslims in the country on ownership of the organizing body, The Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development.

He said Muslims in Nigeria should embrace the Sultan Foundation as their personal property for the overall development of humanity, irrespective of sectional, tribal or religious differences.

ALSO READ: GIRLS’ EDUCATION: Sultan, Gov Bago, Etsu Nupe, Sarkin Argungu, others converge on Minna for talks

The President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) explained that the Foundation focuses on education and health, among other areas, to bring relief to the less privileged in the society, particularly the girl child and orphans.

The Sultan, who has to his credit over 16 female medical doctors of Southern Nigeria extractions he has produced, conferred Tuesday the Ambassadorial title of “Ambassador of Girl-Child Education for the North Central Zone” on the wife of the Niger State Governor, Hajiya Fatima Umaru Bago, in recognition of her significant contributions and support to orphans and the girl child.

Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, represented by the Director of Federal Government College Minna, Surajo Dadda’u, emphasized the Federal Government’s awareness of the challenges confronting girl-child education and the urgent need for solutions. He called on traditional and religious leaders, as well as other key stakeholders, to align with the Federal Government’s vision to address these issues.

In his remarks, Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago noted that his administration has developed a deliberate 10-year program to empower the girl child in the state. The program aims to produce 10,000 female graduates in fields such as medicine, nursing, mechanical engineering, and midwifery within the next decade. Additionally, he announced global scholarships for 100 students to study abroad.

Governor Bago highlighted the state’s commitment to matching funds under the Agile program and revealed the procurement of one million computer tablets for distribution to primary, basic, and secondary schools in Niger State. He also emphasized that free internet services have been provided to schools across the state to facilitate faster and more seamless education.

In her acceptance speech, Hajiya Fatima Umaru Bago expressed her dedication to promoting girl-child education wholeheartedly. She credited her late father and Governor Umaru Bago as her inspiration for engaging in humanitarian services and pledged to continue her efforts.

National Coordinator of the Adolescent Girl Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), Mrs. Amina Haruna, explained that AGILE began in 2021 with an initial $500 million and included seven states. The program is expected to conclude next year, while the additional 11 states will complete their projects by 2028.

The conference was jointly organized by AGILE and the Sultan Foundation.

This global online newspaper had earlier reported that government leaders, traditional rulers and heads of religious missions from length and breadth of Nigeria had converged on Minna, Niger State, North Central of the country on Tuesday for talks in a bid to dwell on significance of girls education as a core purpose for the establishment of Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development.

The event, called Traditional and Religious Conference on Significance of Girls Education in North Central Geo Political Zone and coordinated by the Emir of Argungu Alhaji Samaila Muhammad Mera on behalf of Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development, had the Sultan of Sokoto and Leader of the Muslim Ummah of Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, Governor of Niger State Alhaji Umar Bago, Etsu Nupe and Chairman Niger State Traditional Rulers Council, Alhaji YAHAYA Abubakar, other traditional rulers from the North Central and other geopolitical zones and religious leaders in attendance.

The leaders, sitting at the instance of the Sultan Foundation – established as one of the pet projects of Sultan of Sokoto since ascending to the Usmaniyyah Throne of Sokoto Caliphate on November 2, 2006 – looked at the Girl Child education in Northern Nigeria as a critical issue.

They also considered that with many factors contributing to her lack of access to education and opportunities such as early marriage and misinterpreted or misapplied religious beliefs.

These, The DEFENDER reports, are some of the factors militating against girls education that the Minna conference aimed to address in order to increase their enrollment.