President Bola Tinubu has paid tribute to the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, on the 20th anniversary of his ascension to the throne.
He described the monarch as a moral authority, a voice of moderation and a steady counsellor to Nigerian leaders across generations.
In a congratulatory letter personally signed by the President on Monday, Tinubu praised the Sultan’s two decades of leadership as a period in which the ancient institution of the Sokoto Caliphate had not only been preserved but enriched and redeployed as an instrument for peace, unity and national development.
He wrote, “You have been more than a traditional ruler. You have been a moral authority, a bridge between faiths, a voice of moderation and a steady counsellor to leaders across the country.”
Tinubu commended the Sultan’s role as President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and Co-Chairman of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, saying that under his leadership, Christians and Muslims had consistently found common ground.
“You have consistently stood for religious harmony and tolerance. Under your leadership as Co-Chairman of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, Christians and Muslims have found common ground, and our diversity has become a source of strength rather than division,” he said.
The President also highlighted the Sultan’s contributions to peace advocacy in the North and across the Sahel, his promotion of girl-child education, support for farmers, and quiet interventions on behalf of the poor and vulnerable.
On a personal note, Tinubu said he valued his friendship with the Sultan and acknowledged the spiritual and political guidance offered to him by the monarch.
“Your counsel has been honest, patriotic and always in Nigeria’s best interest.
“Thank you for your support and your prayers for our nation,” the President wrote.
He prayed for the Sultan’s continued good health, long life, and renewed wisdom, expressing hope that his reign would continue to bring peace to Sokoto, unity to Nigeria, and honour to the Muslim faithful.
“May your reign continue to bring peace to Sokoto, unity to Nigeria, and honour to the Ummah,” Tinubu wrote.
Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III ascended the throne of the Sokoto Caliphate on November 2, 2006, becoming the 20th Sultan of Sokoto.
This followed the passing of his predecessor, Muhammadu Maccido, who died in ADC Airlines Flight 053, which crashed on October 29, 2006, in a cornfield near Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The crash claimed 96 of the 105 people on board, including the monarch who was 78 at the time.
A graduate of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, Sa’ad Abubakar III was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1974 and rose through the ranks over a career spanning nearly three decades.
He served in various command and staff positions within Nigeria and on United Nations peacekeeping missions abroad before retiring as a Brigadier-General in December 2006.
Over his 20-year reign, he has been a central peace advocate in some of the country’s most delicate conflicts such as intercommunal conflicts between herders and farmers, Boko Haram’s insurgency in the North-East, and ethno-religious tensions across the Middle Belt.
As the NSCIA President-General, he is the highest Islamic religious authority in the country.
As Co-Chairman of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, he shares the co-leadership of the country’s foremost platform for Christian-Muslim dialogue with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria.
The Sultan is also known for his advocacy for girl-child education, an issue historically contested in parts of the core north.
The Sokoto Caliphate was established in 1804 by Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio following a jihad that swept across the Hausa states of what is now northern Nigeria.
It stands as the most significant Islamic traditional institution in sub-Saharan Africa, even as its Sultan holds spiritual authority over millions of Muslims nationwide.
