As the 20th Sultan of Sokoto clocks 20
Punch Nigeria · Tunji Ajibade ·
A reflection on the 20th anniversary of the 20th Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, and his role in nation-building.
Exactly 20 years ago, the 20th Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, ascended the throne. The anniversary was appropriately marked by the Sultanate Council of Sokoto in collaboration with other Islamic organizations. It was part of the 13th Shaikh Usmanu Bin Fodiyo Week. Speakers at the event eulogised the qualities of Sultan Sa’ad and they had their different perspectives. For me, how the Sultan’s actions and utterances have come across over the past 20 years in our national space was what came to mind. Sultan Sa’ad has been exactly what I expect a leader to be, how I expect a leader to come across. Now, whoever has an appreciation of the task of nation-building would understand how central relevant institutions are to it. Relevant institutions are rallying points. Sometimes they lead the nation-building effort, and they’re major contributors to the process. In Nigeria, traditional institutions belong here. The throne in Sokoto is one of them, and I seize this occasion to recognize Sultan Sa’ad’s contributions.
It needs to be stated that the task of nation-building is never opaque; when it’s going on, we see it. When it doesn’t, well-meaning citizens worry, and I’ve listened as some of them from different parts of the nation express their worries to me in private conversations. They’re very passionate about our nation, a phenomenon that makes me wonder when some present themselves as though they’re the only ones concerned about the well-being of Nigeria. I can cite many examples. But at least we’ve all witnessed at different times how high-profile people across the nation rallied together to stabilise the polity in troubled times, including 1998 when the presidency was conciously zoned to the south-west. Now, well-meaning citizens know that strong nations don’t just emerge; they’re worked at. Is Nigeria more complex than the United States of America, with the latter’s different races and ethnicities? Yet that country projects strength to the world. It’s internal strength that shows forth as external strength, and it’s been a journey of over 200 years gathering internal strength for the US.
Nation-building is rooted in identifiable, tangible centres. It has pillars in identifiable, tangible centres. Even the intangible aspects of the process are rooted somewhere, and we’ll know them if we look closely. It helps when relevant tangible centres for nation building are spread across a nation. Traditional institutions are spread across Nigeria, and this is important. For instance, there’s this image traditional institutions present such that when people look in specific directions, they are the centres they see first. This gives the confidence that the nation has those to look up to, institutions that can be rallied for the national cause. In addition, traditional institutions personify a people in each section of the nation. Where they exist, there is this sense on the part of outsiders that those we call to the table have the ears of the people. Traditional institutions in every part of Nigeria played significant roles in the past, a phenomenon I studied extensively in political science class, and they still do today.
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