Things are not getting better in Nigeria, says Sultan of Sokoto
Chima Azubuike, Gombe
Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Saad Abubakar, says Nigeria is drifting away from the normal, adding that truth must be told.
He linked linked the insecurity to the dearth in food supply, adding that a hungry man is an angry man.
The Sultan stated this on Thursday, in Gombe during the 3rd National Summit of Peaceful Co-existence and Nation building, with the theme ‘Peaceful Co-existence Social Cohesion and National Development’, organised by Da’wah Coordination Council of Nigeria.
According to him, development would come when everyone owns up to the truth about the situation of the country.
He said, “Take whatever you want, go and twist it if you want in the social media and say whatever you want to say, I know what I have said and can say it anywhere, in the front of anybody because we must tell ourselves the home truth The problem of Nigeria are mounting up every day, let not deceive ourselves that things are getting better, things are not getting better and the earlier we know that things are not getting better the better for us. So that we can sit down and devise means and ways of solving the problems is as simple as that.
“What we lack in this country is the sincerity and honesty to implement the solution because no religion has asked anybody to kill somebody. Terrorism, banditry, kidnapping are thriving businesses in this country now and people can’t even, move freely.
“So many people are hungry, because they can’t afford it and prices of food keeps on going high, this is a public forum. I want to make this statement because it is a free platform and the governor is here, maybe it will start from Gombe State, other states will follow. Make sure you make adequate food supply because of the common man because of possible shortage of food, across the world and when you have it at the right time subsidize it. So that the common man can afford it.
“Without food you can’t have peace, without peace, you can’t have security, without security you can’t have development, and without development you are just a bunch of people sitting down together. Therefore, we must rise up to the occasion, whatever it will cost, let it be mapped out so that when we say we have discussed it in Gombe. A hungry man is an angry man.”
While lamenting the challenges of the country, Abubakar stated that the problem of Nigeria can be best be heaped on the elite, stressing that followers reserved the right to choose who would lead them.
“We discuss all these issues every day, we still bring out the same issues we discussed. Why should we continue to discuss the same issues day in day out without implementing those programmes, it a challenge.
“There is alot of lack of love in Nigeria, you can not have so much and not want to share little with someone who doesn’t have anything and you claim to be a big man. We have few people that have so much and too many that have nothing. Why shouldn’t we look out for our friend or brother and colleague and help him.
“I want to thank you, to continue to be patient with us as leaders. You followers should tell us what to do, tell us the right thing. If we do wrong don’t follow us and if we do right ofcourse follow us, nobody will force you to go and vote for somebody you know you don’t like, If they give you money take and vote for the person that you think is better, because you can not play money politics in Nigeria I’m not saying my brother used money to become governor.
“We have no choice because Almighty Allah has said we should live in peace with one another, Allah did not make mistake by bringing us together. Right from history we have seen where christians, Muslims and other non believers lived together peacefully. So, I can’t see why we can’t. The problem is our elite, our big men and our governor knows that I have told him, are the problem of this country, you can quote me,” Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto added.
Also speaking, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, who was represented at the event by Rev. Father Joseph Shinga said, “Nigeria is going through turbulent times; in terms of social integration and cohesion. Suspicion here and there, religious bigotry, sentiments are on the rising. We need to stay together in peace in this country to co-exist side by side in peace.”
On his part, Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Yahaya, who agreed with the sultan saying, “I attributes the failure of the system to, 3 quarter of it to the leadership and the ordinary man too has his own problem. Everyone has to look inward and proffer a solution. The problem is there and the problem will be there until we tell ourselves the brutal truth and face it head on in order to solve the problem.”
