NSCIA backs Sultan of Sokoto amid dethronement rumours, demands respect for Islamic institutions, traditional stools
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has urged government and political leaders at all levels to show respect to traditional institutions and their holders, especially when combined with Islamic leadership.
This call was made at the 9th Expanded General Purpose Committee (EGPC) meeting held at the National Mosque in Abuja.
The NSCIA, in a communique signed by Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, CON, FNAL
Secretary-General for and on behalf of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs emphasized the importance of preserving cultural and religious heritage for sustainable peace and national development.
The NSCIA’s statement comes in the face of the escalating tension between the Sokoto State Governor, Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto, and the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, amid rising rumours of the monarch’s impending dethronement.
The Muslim Ummah in Nigeria, the NSCIA stressed, has long entrusted its leadership to established Islamic institutions, which command respect and high regard from Muslims across the country, therefore, any disrespect to these institutions is considered a direct affront to the faith and its adherents.
It further expressed absolute confidence in the Eminence for his exemplary leadership and committed service to Islam and the Nigerian Muslim Ummah as it expressed concerns about the perceived disrespect to the leadership of the Ummah by certain authorities. The GPC was then mandated to act on the matter on behalf of the EGPC and the General Assembly.
In a statement on Monday, June 24, 2024, MURIC’s Founder and Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, reaffirmed that Nigerian Muslims unequivocally oppose any attempt to dethrone the Sultan, a highly respected figure in the Islamic community and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).
Akintola emphasized that such a move would mark the end of traditional rulers’ leadership over the NSCIA and a permanent loss of Sokoto’s esteemed position of leadership.
“Governor Ahmed Aliyu should not force Nigerian Muslims to take a drastically revolutionary measure. Having a traditional ruler as leader has been a condition Nigerian Muslims accepted a long time ago as a necessary weakness in the structure which they have to live with, the statement noted in part.
