SAN FRANCISCO, October 11, (THEWILL) – The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III has again expressed concerns over claims that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is out to execute an islamic agenda in the entire country.
Speaking in Kaduna on Monday during a two-day summit organised by the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, the monarch said he was worried that people who were supposed to be elder statesmen were busy making provocative comments.
Recently, the Prof. Ben Nwabueze-led Igbo Leaders of Thought alleged that the current killings of Nigerians across the country by Fulani herdsmen indicate that the Buhari-led Federal Government is pursuing an islamisation agenda of the country, but warned that the plot will have a negative impact on Nigeria’s unity if it was fully executed by the authorities.
Speaking about this claim, Abubakar said, “I am always worried when Nigerians who are supposed to be elder statesmen make provocative comments about this government trying to Islamise Nigeria.
“I keep on asking, how? How do you Islamise a country like Nigeria that is probably 80 million Muslims, but we agreed that we are 50-50.
“Are you going to invite America? Somebody so naive even said the visit of the US Secretary of State was to strengthen the Islamisation of programme of the leadership of the country.
“So, people should stop making this noise about Islamisation and herdsmen being used to Islamise the country and so many negative things.”
The Sultan, who however admitted that the herdsmen crisis was a challenge, spoke on personal steps he had made to bring about peace, and advised people to concentrate on finding solutions to problems rather than exploiting situations.
According to him, “If there are problems, of course there are, like the issue of herds men, there are very terrible herdsmen.
“The problem with herdsmen and farmers is purely about the economy. The herdsman wants food for his cattle; the farmer wants his farm produce to feed his family.
“We have tried to broker peace with Fulanis and Tivs in Nasarawa and Benue states. I have been to Makurdi four times for such meetings.
“There are things that have been wrong with us as northerners, as leaders, as Christians, as Muslims. It’s a big problem for all of us and we are very worried that things like this are happening.”
