Muslims Would Continue to Fight for their Rights Peacefully, Sultan Assures Nigerians

Sanusi urges Muslims to adopt family planning

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, yesterday said Muslims in the country would continue to fight for their rights under the constitution, but would not be provoked to be violent to achieve this.

The Sultan who spoke at the opening of the 108th Islamic Vocation Course (IVC) organised by the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) Zone B held at IVC Permanent Camp, along Lagos-Ibadan expressway, called on Muslims to always be law- abiding.

Present at the programme, which has as its theme, “The Unification,” include the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Mr. Rauf Olaniyan; the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II; the Resident Electoral Commissioners in Oyo and Ogun state, Mutiu Agboke and Professor Abdulganiy Raji, former and Present Executive Secretary of Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN), Prof. Daud Noibi and Prof. Muslih Yahyah.

Others are Aare Musulumi of Yoruba land, Edo and Delta, Alhaji Daud Makanjuola; Baba Adini of Yoruba land, Edo and Delta, Alhaji Sharafadeen Tunji Ishola; Iya Adini of Yoruba land, Edo and Delta, Alhaja Sekinah Adekola; National President (Amir) of MSSN, Dr. Taofeek Yekeen; MSSN Zone B Amir, Qaasim Odedeji and Chairman, Muslim Community of Oyo State, Alhaji Isiaq Kunle Sanni and Prof. Abideen Olaiya.

While throwing his weight behind the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN)’s call for more review of the Shariah laws, the Sultan stated that the rights of Muslims such as wearing of Hijab by women and girls are sacrosanct, urging the Muslim Ummah in the country to always see themselves as agents of unity.

According to him, “My appeal to Muslims in the country is that they should not be provoked by any utterances from either any political or religious leaders but continued to be law-abiding. Muslims will not work to divide Nigeria by taking up arms to fight for their rights but should continue to be agents of unity of the country.”

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, in his own contributions implored Nigerians, especially Muslims to give birth to only the number of children they can cater for.

Sanusi while speaking on the array of social problems bedeviling the country, insisted that the issue of Almajri syndrome is not a religious issue but a social issue that needs urgent attention.

While maintaining that there is a need to get all out-of -school children back to the school, he maintained that men should imbibe the habit of marrying the number of women they can cater for, urging Nigerians, especially Muslims to give birth to the only children they can cater for.

According to him, “If we continued this way, about 40 per cent extremely poor people will be in Nigeria. It is 20 per cent in the South-west, North it is 80 per cent, Lagos is eight per cent and Zamfara, it is 91 per cent.

“We have been talking about Almajri for over 30 years. Why are people having family that they cannot maintain? Why are people marrying wife that they cannot maintain? The condition is that you are able to provide for your family.

“Instead of having many children, why not having the ones you can cater for? These are the fundamental questions we should ask ourselves.”

Most of these children roaming about the streets will be adult in the next 20 years and they will be the ones they will recruit as political thugs by the politicians if we don’t take good care of them now.

“This is my own advice that we must look at. These are not religion; they are social issues that need to be addressed”.