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Tag: Saad Abubakar

  • Unpaid salaries cause of high crime rate – Sultan

    Unpaid salaries cause of high crime rate – Sultan

    The Sultan of Sokoto,  Sa’ad Abubakar III, on Friday blamed state governors’ inability to pay salaries as the cause of increasing crime rate in the country.

    Abubakar, who expressed concern over the poor living condition of Nigerians, urged individuals saddled with the task of catering for the needs of the people to find a lasting solution to the problem.

    The Sultan spoke during a courtesy visit to Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, in Benin City, ahead of the Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs.

    The monarch said he is ‎delighted with the recent increase in minimum wage and payment of salaries by Oshiomhole.

    “That is one of the things causing criminal activities. Workers are not paid and they cannot go to the market because there is no money to do that. There is hunger in the land.

    “When people are hungry we know the consequence. As we all know, a hungry man is an angry man. We know the problems in the country. So as leaders, let us put our heads together and see how we can resolve them.”

     

     

  • Stay away from politics, Sultan warns traditional rulers

    Stay away from politics, Sultan warns traditional rulers

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, yesterday warned traditional rulers to steer clear of politics.

    Abubakar gave the warning during the turbaning of three new district heads and two traditional title holders in Sokoto.

    Represented by the Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Ilyasu Bashar, the Sultan said “traditional rulers should be fathers to all, irrespective of any religious, ethnic or political differences.

    “Leadership in any form is a trust and all leaders will be accountable for their stewardship.’’

    The monarch said that the new traditional rulers and title holders were chosen based on merit and their wealth of experience and urged them to focus on the welfare and comfort of their followers.

    The Sultan also warned against greed, moral decadence, corruption and vices, which he described as the bane of the contemporary Nigerian society.

    He appealed to Nigerians to collectively and fervently pray for sustained peace and unity in the country.

    Among those turbaned was Alhaji Bala Abubakar III, the state’s Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Commissioner for Budget, who became the Durunbun Sokoto.

    Also, Alhaji Sa’idu Maccido, the immediate past Director of Information in the state’s Ministry of Information, was turbaned as Dan-Buram Sokoto.

    Maccido was recently appointed by the Sultan as his Personal Assistant Secretary.

  • 2015: We must avoid bloodshed, Sultan tells Jonathan

    2015: We must avoid bloodshed, Sultan tells Jonathan

    THE Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, is worried by the bloodshed in parts of the north, especially with the 2015 elections approaching.

    He wants President Goodluck Jonathan to urgently take steps to stop the killings.

    “Let’s not make 2015 a year of taking innocent lives away,” he cautioned yesterday in his palace, while receiving the president who was on a private visit, his second in as many weeks.

    “This is one of the things bothering Nigerians. There should a be level play filed and politicians should ensure that there is no waste of blood for the quest for power.”

    The Sultan cited the intermittent clashes in Benue State between Fulani herdsmen and Tiv farmers and asked the president to meet with the governors of the affected areas with a view to finding a lasting solution to the problem.

    “You have to do everything possible to bring politicians, all ethnic nationalities and religious interest groups together for talks on the way out against the trend of insurgency and clashes especially in the North east,” he said.

    “Human life is important and sacred and we should not play politics with security. You should endeavour to take objective suggestions from people to bring the madness to an end.

    “We are full of sadness with heavy hearts about what is happening. We are worried by the number of lives of our young children lost recently in Yobe.”

    He acknowledged that though the task of overcoming the insurgency is huge, Nigerians owe it a duty to be committed to the course.

    The Sultan also reiterated the need for the leadership to be transparent and God fearing in governance.

    “Although, we have heard Mr. President’s words of commitment on that, and we want other politicians to do the same, we will do our best to ensure peace and unity prevail in the country,” he stated.

    He presented the president with a publication on the principles leadership.

    President Jonathan said he was in Sokoto to pay his respect.

    He hailed the Sultan’s efforts at fostering unity and peace in the country.

    “We are committed to the peace and unity of Nigeria,” he maintained.

    Also speaking, Governor Aliyu Wamakko decried the killings in the Northeast, saying, “these acts must be tackled and stopped.

    “Government must do something urgently to stop the loss of lives particularly in the north east,” he urged.

    Wamakko told the president that Sokoto was founded on the path of honesty, good governance, rule of law and respect for human value.

    Meanwhile, the governor at a brief meeting shortly after the departure of the president reiterated his support and resilience of the All Progressives Change (APC) to win the 2015 elections in the state.

    He said:” We are committed in spirit and soul to ensure victory of the APC. We are for change and stand for the course. No retreat, no surrender for what our people desire.”

     

  • Insurgency: Sultan calls for continuous prayers

    Insurgency: Sultan calls for continuous prayers

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has called for continuous prayers for peace, unity and development in the country.

    Abubakar made the call during a national preaching session organised by an Islamic group, the Jama’tu Izalatul Bidi’a Waikamatus Sunna (JIBWIS) in Kano on Sunday.

    Represented by Alhaji Garba Tambari, Emir of Maradun in Zamfara, the Sultan decried the security challenges be-devilling the North, especially the North-Eastern part of the country.

    He said: “as traditional rulers, we have since called for continuous prayers against the insecurity that is gradually taking over some parts of the North.’’

    According to him, the prayers are necessary in order to ensure peace, unity and development in the country.

    Earlier, in his remarks, the National Chairman of the Izala Islamic group, Sheik Sani Jingir, called for collaborative efforts in the fight against insurgency.

    “The fight against insurgency should be a collaborative one, especially among Muslim and Christian communities,’’ he said.

    Jingir expressed concern over the senseless killing of innocent persons in the country, and called on the government to do something urgently in order to check the ugly trend.

    “One cannot understand why human lives now become so valueless while those who are responsible for the protection of such lives seem to have failed in their responsibility.

    “For the fact that lives have become so vulnerable while the insurgents kill at will, there is urgent need for coming together of the adherents of the two religions to rise against the perpetrators of the dastardly acts.

    According to him, the activities of the Boko Haram are aimed at giving Islam a bad name so that Muslims will be the target of harassment, undue treatment and unnecessary persecution.

    “We are aware that some powerful ungodly minds are behind the activities of the Boko Haram, in an effort to tarnish the beautiful names of Islam and its followers,’’ he said.

    The chairman called for the establishment of a joint vigilance groups in all parts of the country to ensure peaceful coexistence.