Tinubu, Emir of Ilorin hail Sultan of Sokoto at 20 years on throne

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar III, as the monarch marks 20 years on the throne today, November 2.

In a message personally signed and also shared on his X account on Monday, the President called the Sultan a moral authority, a bridge between faiths and a steady counsellor to leaders across generations.

"You have been more than a traditional ruler," Tinubu wrote, thanking the monarch for what he described as honest and patriotic counsel.

The Sultan is the highest Islamic religious authority in the country as President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA). He also co-chairs the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), the country's main platform for Christian-Muslim dialogue, alongside the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria.

Tinubu said that under the Sultan's leadership, Christians and Muslims had found common ground, and that Nigeria's diversity had become a source of strength rather than division.

He also praised the monarch's peace work in the North and the Sahel, his push for girl-child education, his support for farmers and what the President called quiet interventions for the poor and vulnerable.

How he came to the throne

Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar III became the 20th Sultan of Sokoto on November 2, 2006, after the death of his predecessor, Muhammadu Maccido.

Maccido, then 78, was among the 96 people killed when ADC Airlines Flight 053 crashed in a cornfield near Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on October 29, 2006. There were 105 people on board.

The new Sultan came from a military background. A graduate of the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna, he was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1974 and served in command and staff roles at home and on United Nations peacekeeping missions before retiring as a Brigadier-General in December 2006.

The Sokoto Caliphate itself was founded in 1804 by Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio. It remains the most significant Islamic traditional institution in sub-Saharan Africa, and its Sultan holds spiritual authority over millions of Muslims across Nigeria.

Others join the tributes

The Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, also congratulated the Sultan, describing the 20 years as a celebration of purposeful leadership and commitment to peaceful coexistence.

In a statement signed by his spokesman, Dr Arowona Abdulaziz, the Emir praised the Sultan's work at the head of the NSCIA and reaffirmed the historical and spiritual ties between the Ilorin Emirate and the Sokoto Caliphate.

The Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria (MMPN), which names the Sultan as its Grand Patron, said his messages of peace had reassured Nigerians during difficult periods. Its national president, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, signed the statement.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Wahab Egbewole (SAN), also congratulated the Sultan, and commended him for conferring the title of Kuliyan Sokoto on Professor Is-haq Oloyede, a former JAMB registrar and Secretary-General of the NSCIA.

For ordinary Nigerians, the tributes point to a role that goes beyond ceremony: the Sultan has been a central voice in efforts to calm herder-farmer clashes, the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East and ethno-religious tensions in the Middle Belt.

Tinubu ended his message with a prayer for the monarch's health and wisdom, hoping his reign would continue to bring "peace to Sokoto, unity to Nigeria, and honour to the Ummah."