Sultan to Nigerians: Let’s Respect One Another to Stay Together

Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano

The Sultan of Sokoto, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’adu Abubakar, has charged Nigerians to respect one another to foster unity and cohesion needed for nation-building.

Speaking in Kano yesterday at the inauguration of Inter-Tribal Traditional Leaders Association of Nigeria held in Kano, the Sultan stated, “Let’s respect one another. Let’s be civil in the way we address one another. We must use our diversity as a point of strength for us to stay together.”

The Sultan, who noted that the major cause of most of the problems confronting Nigeria stemmed from lack of understanding of each other, said, “If we understand each other, we can work together,” adding that the newly inaugurated association was “another step towards bringing everybody together as one big family. “According to him, forming the association was timely in the wake of security challenges facing the country, noting that the leaders must work assiduously towards unity and tolerance among ethnic groups in the country.

He also called for more engagements to proffer solutions for the leaders to implement while including all.

Also, the Kano State Governor, Mr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, thanked Ohanaeze Ndigbo for their position to support the one Nigeria project.

He also called for more constitutional roles for the traditional institution and for them to be regarded as the fourth tier of government in their role as the custodian of culture.

The National Chairman of the newly inaugurated association, Boniface Ibekwe, who is also the Eze Ndigbo of Kano, said that “most of the Sarki Hausawas in South-east are indigenes of Kano State, with some of them born there and marrying from those states, like some us too.”

He said the association was not in rivalry with the indigenous traditional rulers but “ambassadors for national unity, peaceful coexistence, progress as well as upholding the values, customs, and tradition of our people in our various host states, hence, we cannot afford to let them down.”

Ganduje admitted that the country was in a trying time given the security challenges bedeviling the nation, calling on Nigerians to renew their faith in Nigeria and wax stronger to achieve peace.

In his acceptance address earlier, the National Chairman of the association, Ibekwe, stated that Kano was the most integral part of the unity in Nigeria as it kindly harbours many ethnic groups without harassment.

According to him, Kano was an example of unity as its citizens were found in many parts of the country, noting that most of the Sarkin Hausawa in Southeastern Nigeria were indigenes of the state and had married indigenous Igbo women there.

He expressed appreciation to Ganduje for sponsoring the inauguration ceremony, commending the governor for carrying non-indigenes along in the state.