Vice President Kashim Shettima has said the Sultan of Sokoto represents an institution that everyone in the country needs to jealously guard and protect for the growth of the nation.
News About Nigeria reports that Shettima spoke at the “Inaugural North West Peace and Security Summit” in Katsina on Monday.
The event was organised by the north-west Governors’ Forum in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The Vice President asked Muhammad Gobir, deputy governor of Sokoto State, to protect the Sultan because he represents an important idea and institution that is required for the promotion of the country’s growth.
“In all developmental issues in this country, His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, I want to use him as a point of reference to recognise and appreciate all our royal fathers present here,” Shettima said.
“And to the deputy governor of Sokoto, I have a simple message for you: Yes, the Sultan is the Sultan of Sokoto, but he is much more than that; he represents an idea, he is an institution, that all of us in this country need to jealously guard, protect, promote, preserve, and project for the growth of our nation.”
Earlier on Monday, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) said there are indications that the Sokoto state government is planning to dethrone Muhammad Abubakar as the Sultan of Sokoto.
MURIC asked Ahmad Aliyu, governor of Sokoto, to exercise restraint and not tamper with the traditional institution.
The Islamic group cited the dethronement of 15 traditional rulers by the state governor in April 2024.
The organisation added that the pedestal of the Sultan of Sokoto is not only traditional but also religious, adding that the Sultan is also the head of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).
The group warned the Sokoto governor not to “force Nigerian Muslims to take a drastically revolutionary measure.”
