Northern Monarchs Pledge Support for People-oriented Programmes

Northern Monarchs Pledge Support for People-oriented Programmes

John Shiklam in Kaduna

The Chairman, Northern Traditional Rulers Council (NTRC) and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has said traditional rulers will continue to support government programmes aimed at improving the lives of the people.

Speaking at the sixth General Assembly of the NTRC yesterday in Kaduna, the sultan said as partners in progress, traditional rulers would continue to advise the government on what to do believing that the government will listen.

According to him, “Leadership is a trust! As we assure this administration of our total commitment to the programmes of the federal government, we will also support our governors when they have good programmes; we will work very hard to ensure successful completion of their programmes.

“And any issue that needs caution, we will make that known to our political leaders and also advise them on the fear of Almighty God.”

The Sultan said traditional rulers would support the changes taking place, and pray that they would bring about improvement in the living condition of the people.

“We will hold on to the changes, praying that it would be better for our people as well as produce stability to our people. We want to contribute, as we are very concerned on what has been happening across the world today,” he said.

He added that traditional rulers in the North were not in conflict or war with the government, stressing that the traditional institution was interested in the overall development of the North and Nigeria in general.

Abubakar said: “This institution is in partnership with the government, and this institution is a major stakeholder of government at all level to use as consultant.

“This traditional institution is not meant for any government anywhere in the world, but we are one big family and have a lot to offer to our governments across the country.”

He called on northern governors to tackle the fallen standard of education by improving the quality of teachers as well as the provision of basic learning facilities.

The Sultan expressed appreciation to the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, for his contributions to bringing solutions to the challenges facing the North.

Also speaking at the occasion, the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, urged the traditional rulers to continue to play their role as community leaders by encouraging the youths in their respective communities to identify with government policies aimed at improving the living standard of the people.

In a goodwill message, Mustapha noted that traditional rulers play key role in ensuring the success of government programmes in view of their closeness to people at the grassroots.

He reiterated the government’s commitment towards addressing security challenges in the country, noting that President Muhammadu Buhari recently launched a new National Security Strategy to sustain the current efforts and introduce new methods and technology into the security architecture of the country.

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