Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto and President of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), has always taken keen interest in the nation's affairs. Be it religious, educational and political. He has always made pronouncements and taken active part.
Now on the front burner is the coming elections in 2011, of which many Nigerians are very apprehensive of its outcome.
The Sultan has his own fears of this and has cautioned Nigerians. He expressed this sentiment at a recent meeting of the NSCIA.
In an address, he said the challenge before the country is how to get people elected without “an overriding need to accumulate wealth and how personality, characters and record of performance can become tangible assets which can translate into real electoral victory for those who possess them.”
He continues, “we must break away from this vicious cycle and confer on Nigerians the power and indeed the ability to decide freely and willingly who leads them at all levels of governance.
“Secondly, there is also the urgent need for us to re-evaluate our conception of leadership as a nation.
When a person is appointed to a position of authority, his family and friends, including long lost ones, come together to celebrate the great fortune which has smiled on their brother and the numerous opportunities at his disposal and at the disposal of his family and friends to acquire riches.
“When we focus almost entirely on the opportunities which leadership offers, we tend to lose sight of the enormous responsibilities it confers.
We must, at our sober moments, take courage to remind our leaders about these responsibilities; their onerous nature, how Allah has conferred on you the responsibility of serving as a shepherd over the people, and indeed how, on the day of judgment the Almighty will ask you to render a full account of how you discharged this responsibility.
“We must also at our sober moment take courage to remind our leaders about the severity of Allah’s torment on those who violate this trust and the reward which awaits those who fulfil it.
We must all work hard to limit the influence of wealth in our society and to support those values that promote social responsibility, excellence and hard work.
“Presently, the challenge before us all is real and serious; how can one genuinely get elected in the current democratic dispensation without an overriding need to accumulate wealth?
How can personality, character and record of performance become tangible assets in the public arena and translate into real electoral victory for those who possess them?
“How could we extol the virtues of those who promote the public interest and ensure that they receive the honour they deserve both during their life time and after their demise?
How can our religious and traditional institutions reprioritise these societal values and ensure their institutionalization?
“We must endeavour to insulate traditional rulers from partisans.
As community leaders, our people who belong to different political persuasions look up to us to safeguard the strategic interest of our society and to serve as guardians of its culture and value system.
We must not be distracted from performing these vital societal roles. We advise politicians who aspire to national leadership to conduct their campaigns with honour and decorum.
We must not trample on the cherished values upon which the socio-cultural and religious edifice of our society has been built”.
The sultan might have been addressing an Islamic configuration but the appeal is for all Nigerians regardless of class or creed.
Now on the front burner is the coming elections in 2011, of which many Nigerians are very apprehensive of its outcome.
The Sultan has his own fears of this and has cautioned Nigerians. He expressed this sentiment at a recent meeting of the NSCIA.
In an address, he said the challenge before the country is how to get people elected without “an overriding need to accumulate wealth and how personality, characters and record of performance can become tangible assets which can translate into real electoral victory for those who possess them.”
He continues, “we must break away from this vicious cycle and confer on Nigerians the power and indeed the ability to decide freely and willingly who leads them at all levels of governance.
When a person is appointed to a position of authority, his family and friends, including long lost ones, come together to celebrate the great fortune which has smiled on their brother and the numerous opportunities at his disposal and at the disposal of his family and friends to acquire riches.
“When we focus almost entirely on the opportunities which leadership offers, we tend to lose sight of the enormous responsibilities it confers.
We must, at our sober moments, take courage to remind our leaders about these responsibilities; their onerous nature, how Allah has conferred on you the responsibility of serving as a shepherd over the people, and indeed how, on the day of judgment the Almighty will ask you to render a full account of how you discharged this responsibility.
“We must also at our sober moment take courage to remind our leaders about the severity of Allah’s torment on those who violate this trust and the reward which awaits those who fulfil it.
We must all work hard to limit the influence of wealth in our society and to support those values that promote social responsibility, excellence and hard work.
“Presently, the challenge before us all is real and serious; how can one genuinely get elected in the current democratic dispensation without an overriding need to accumulate wealth?
How can personality, character and record of performance become tangible assets in the public arena and translate into real electoral victory for those who possess them?
“How could we extol the virtues of those who promote the public interest and ensure that they receive the honour they deserve both during their life time and after their demise?
How can our religious and traditional institutions reprioritise these societal values and ensure their institutionalization?
“We must endeavour to insulate traditional rulers from partisans.
We must not be distracted from performing these vital societal roles. We advise politicians who aspire to national leadership to conduct their campaigns with honour and decorum.
We must not trample on the cherished values upon which the socio-cultural and religious edifice of our society has been built”.
The sultan might have been addressing an Islamic configuration but the appeal is for all Nigerians regardless of class or creed.
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