Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, the sultan of Sokoto, has enjoined Muslims to be peaceful and refused to be provoked to take up arms to fight over any issue or comment made by anybody in the country.
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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Abubakar III made the appeal at the opening ceremony of the 108th edition of Islamic Vacation Course (IVC) at IVC permanent site in Ogun State.
The event was organised by the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) B Zone.
The Sultan who spoke on Islamic law and the Nigerian constitution, said: “We must not take up arm over any issue or anybody.
“We must never try to fight, we must not enforce our rights on anything. But we as a leader, all of us as leaders, we will look at ways of getting our rights from the government.
“So never be provoked; don’t let any comment or any report from anywhere provoke you into taking up arms to fight.
“Why because that is what they want us to do to destabilise Nigeria. We will not destabilise Nigeria as Muslims. We will walk as Islamic orders us to do.
“And In-shaa Allah we will build a better Nigeria where Muslims are allowed to wear hijab anywhere and at any time.”
Abubakar III emphasised the need for Muslims to remain calm over any issue concerning their faith.
“Like I said , Almighty Allah will protect His religion, He will protect the Qur’an, His book.
“We will do our own part by remaining peaceful, by always abiding by the laws of our land.
“We are always talking to our leaders, especially the political leaders, on what should be done and what ought not to be done,” the Sultan said.
On his part, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano, urged Muslims to ensure that their wards get an education.
The first-class traditional ruler said this would reduce illiteracy, poverty and social vices.
He further admonished Muslims on peace and unity to address various challenges facing them.
Sanusi II urged them to recognise, identify and address the internal problems challenging them which had led to increased poverty and social vices.
Also, Mr Rauf Olaniyan, the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, enjoined those present at the event to take advantage of the government initiative called ‘Better Education Service Delivery for All’ (BESDA) to reduce the number of out-of-school children in their communities.
“Let us struggle to get 10 pupils from your neighbourhood, town and village back to classroom.
“There is a programme now called BESDA, the federal government is spending so much on it, this is the best time to benefit because of tomorrow.
“Where we are today is because we failed to harness the opportunity of yesterday.
“There are opportunities to be taken today so that we can get the benefit of tomorrow,” Olaniyan said.
Earlier in his welcome address, Mr Qaasim Odedeji, the Coordinator MSSN B Zone, said the IVC programme was organised by past generations of the leadership of MSSN to confront the evil associated with environmental influence of relating with non-Muslims ,especially during their festivities.
He said the festivities were intentionally designed to coincide with major school holidays.
“The programme has always given Muslim students the opportunity of occupying themselves with the activities that would improve their knowledge of Islam and their faith in Allah,” Odedeji said.
He endorsed the position of the Chief Justice of Nigeria on the need to improve the status of Shariah through amendment of the relevant sections of the federal constitution.
“The call for the resignation of Chief Justice of Nigeria is laughable, unreasonable and unwarranted and a calculated attempt to intimidate CJN.
“The Nigerian legal system which the CJN presides over is not limited to Nigerian legislations, it also contains provisions of Islamic personal law,” he said.
NAN also reports that the theme of the event was entitled ‘Unification’.