Sultan of Sokoto: Nine years of purposeful leadership

Before some readers start judging this piece as an attempt to portray the Sultan as a sinless saint, let me from the onset say that I believe, like all other mortals, that His Eminence, Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar has his own weak points and shortcomings. But I strongly believe we need not dedicate any article […]

Before some readers start judging this piece as an attempt to portray the Sultan as a sinless saint, let me from the onset say that I believe, like all other mortals, that His Eminence, Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar has his own weak points and shortcomings. But I strongly believe we need not dedicate any article to the negative sides of our leaders. Again, I am aware that, specifically regarding the Sultan, some men of wisdom have been advising him, through the appropriate channels, to address certain shortcomings, change certain approaches and abandon some projects. But what we have not done is to remind ourselves of the little good things our leaders have done, and are doing, so as to serve as a motivation for them to do more and as lessons for others to emulate. The philosophy behind this piece, therefore, is to look at the other side of the story. The essence is to celebrate the modest achievements of Sultan Sa’ad, in his nine years of reign, and to remind him of the challenges ahead. 
The idea is if we can summon the courage to challenge the ills of our leaders, then we must also have the courtesy to appreciate their good. The appointment of His Eminence, Alhaji  Muhammad Sa’ad, CFR, mni, on Thursday 2nd November, 2006 (i.e. 50 years after he was born on 24th August, 1956) as the 20th Sultan of the historic Sokoto Caliphate, received varied reactions from Nigerian Muslims. For some, including us in the circle of the Muslim Students’ Society (MSSN), we thought his reign would be business as usual; his would not be more than maintaining the status quo and continuation with the traditional way of handling the “traditional institution” and that he could neither have the courage nor the capacity to make any meaningful change. 
In his acceptance speech, the Sultan declared that “We promise to hold the office of the Sultanate in the name of Allah, and we will not deviate. Whatever we do, it is Almighty Allah first, and we promise to do justice to everyone irrespective of religion, tribe or creed.” This statement, precise though, presents us with   summary of how he intended to rule. It is a vision of some sort and a yardstick for him and for us to assess him at every roadblock, in his reign, so that we will ensure he “will not deviate”. So, from his speeches and actions, the Sultan seems to have understood the enormity of his role and responsibilities and also his limitations. He sees his position as it is; the Sultan of Sokoto Caliphate, not that of Sokoto State and as the leader of Nigerian Muslims, not that of the Muslims of Northern Nigeria. He understands his territory to be Islam, in Nigeria, not a “traditional” enclave, and not a restricted geographical curve called Sokoto. He understood from the onset that the Muslims in Nigeria needed a rallying point and that the JNI and NSCIA provide that platform.
For those who have been following the activities of the Sultan, it is easy to be convinced that the Sultan has so far demonstrated some level of commitment to his responsibility as a leader, his shortcomings notwithstanding. Nevertheless, there is the need for him to be more alert to this responsibility. Before I conclude let me remind His Eminence of a statement by Sultan Muhammad Bello where he says: “If God wishes people good, he gives leadership in their affairs to the best of them. Such leadership will lead the community in the right path and put matters in correct places. They would seek the advice of people who have ideas that are handy in solving problems. They would find powerful people, knowledgeable people and experienced people to help in their different spheres. They would value the prayers of pious people so that the community will fare well in every respect. Such leaders would advance people who deserve promotion and hold back those who do not merit advancement.”
The time for His Eminence to start the phase two of his reposition and reform is now. And we wish him Allah’s guidance.
Lamido wrote from International Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance (IIIBF), Bayero University, Kano ([email protected])