By BASHIR ADEFAKA
The three-day official visit of the Sultan of Sokoto and Leader of Nigeria’s most populous Muslim Ummah, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has ended.
This multi-lingual online newspaper had earlier on Friday reported that the Sultanate visit, which started on Wednesday February 21, 2024, would be concluded with His Eminence attending Jumu’at service praying behind Chuef Imam of Iseyin, Sheikh AbdulHakeem Babatunde Adejori.
Cross-session of members of entourage, who attended Jumu’at service and farewell event marking the end of Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar’s three-day official visit to Oyo State, at the newly commissioned Iseyin Central Mosque, on Friday February 23, 2024. PHOTO: Defender Media Limited
He had on day two of the visit, on Thursday February 22, performed official commissioning of the Iseyin Central Mosque newly redesigned and renovated by a son-of-the-soil and senior advocate of Nigeria, Alhaji Ahmed Raji.
The Sultan said at the dinner organised in his honour same day that “Before we leave tomorrow, we would all attend Jumu’at prayer behind the Chief Imam of Iseyin, we would listen to his khutbah with which he would give us sermon that will touch our hearts and then we would move from there the airport in Ibadan,” the Retired Army General, former sports administrator and exceptional planner, said.
As scheduled, his convoy which had very high profile personalities accompanying him, departed the Ahmed Raji home lodge of the multifaceted world class leader at around 1pm with people of the kingdom seen admiring the VIP movement of the Sultan while many used their phones to capture experience of the visit in camera for future reference.
Moment after arriving the Jumu’at mosque amidst crowd surge of people, who did not want to miss the experience seeing the “Oba Sokoto” once more, Muazim – popularly called Ladani in Yoruba Muslim tongue – called his Adhan followed by khutbah by the Chief Imam, then prayer and supplications for farewell of the Sultan and his entourage and thereafter the departure.
Remarkably, Oke-Ogun’s paramount rulers who had joined the Aseyin of Iseyin, Oba Alhaji Sefiu Olawale Oyebola Adeyeri III, Ajirotutu I, in hosting the Sultan since his arrival on Wednesday, remained in the city and attended the memorable Jumu’at service with His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, who is also the Chairman, National Traditional Rulers Council of Nigeria and Co-President of the World’s Religions for Peace headquartered in New York, United States of America.
The monarchs, who attended the Jumu’at service with the Sultan, included the host-monarch and Aseyin of Iseyin, Oba Sefiu Adeyeri; the Okere of Saki and Chairman of the Oke-Ogun Traditional Rulers Council, Oba Khalid Oyeniyi Olabisi Oyedepo III; the Onisambo of Ogbooro, Oba (Engr) Kazeem Adio Adegboye, and several other monarchs sighted.
“We do not feel like this Oba Sokoto should leave our town again,” an aged woman was heard by this reporter to have said in Yoruba with emotion evident on her face.
But because the Sultan is a man of many parts with responsibilities scattered all over and around him across the length and breath of Nigeria, the Sahel region of West Africa, Africa and around the world, The DEFENDER reports that he could only have to leave Oyo State to come again, for others, who have equality affirmed his leadership like Alhaji Ahmed Raji (SAN) said in dinner the night before, to also enjoy the leader, whose visit to Iseyin, Oyo State this time was widely appraised as symbol of unity.
Essentially, this newspaper notes, the people of Iseyin, Oyo State and South West in general will once again have the Sultan in their midst when the rework and renovation of the palace of Aseyin of Iseyin and, by extension, the building of Sultan of Sokoto Guest House gifted by Raji are completed and he comes for commissioning.
