Sultan Lauds Tinubu For Promoting Religious Tolerance
The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar III, has praised President Bola Tinubu for promoting religious tolerance in Nigeria, saying the move was responsible for the economic gains recorded across the country.
The Sultan made the commendation on Saturday at the commissioning of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Darul’Ilm Centre for Islamic Studies in Kaduna built and donated by the Director General of the Department of State Services, Mr Tosin Ajayi.
The Sultan, who urged Nigerians to de-emphasis religious and ethnic differences, said it was the ability of other economically successful countries to overcome these differences that led to their greatness.
He commended President Tinubu for appointing Ajayi as DSS DG, saying the appointment has helped the president build several bridges of cooperation across the country.
The Sultan described the resolve of Ajayi, “a Christian, to build an Islamic school for orphans and the less-privileged” as “a legacy project which would outlive most persons present.”
He further described the project as a big statement” which he urged Nigerians to emulate.” Doing things like this will make Nigeria a better place, noted the Sultan.
“The coming together of people of different faiths and ethnicities will help bridge the gaps of disunity and de-emphasize the problems of this country. The presence of heads of sister security agencies here today shows the synergy amongst our security services and the trust they have in Tosin Ajayi,” the Sultan added.
The Sultan admonished Nigerians to maintain interfaith harmony and avoid using religion as a tool for hatred.
“I don’t think we have any country in the world where Muslims and Christians interact peacefully like in Nigeria,” the Sultan said.
“Let’s not take religion to the level that it will bring hatred to us as Nigerians. We must eschew religious bigotry because on the last day, everybody will stand before God and give accounts of stewardship on the earth.”
The Sultan expressed gratitude to the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, a Christian, for donating the Islamic center to the Dan Bushiya community in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The center was built to provide education for orphaned and indigent children.
The Sultan described the school as a beacon of hope for the community and a testament to the power of interfaith cooperation.
“If we can do this at all levels, I think there is a big hope for this country,” he said.
“We are all here for one purpose, we are here because education is the most important thing you can give any child in his life, no matter where that programme is taking place.”
The Sultan also praised Ajayi’s selflessness and commitment to promoting education and interfaith dialogue.
“This school is a special school for Orphans and indigent children. We are the parents of such children, and only God would reward us if we help them receive education,” he said.
The Sultan called on those blessed by God to endeavor to buy land to build more schools like this in their communities.
“We should not lose hope in Nigeria. We have challenges, but there is hope in this country if we can all do this. Nigeria is great, it will be great. We believe in our unity to surmount all our challenges,” he said.
The school was named after President Bola Tinubu, in recognition of his commitment to education and development.
The Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, represented by his Deputy, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, praised Ajayi’s vision and selflessness, reaffirming his government’s efforts to address poverty, insecurity, and inequality.
Sani said his administration prioritized education, allocating a significant portion of the budget to reduce out-of-school syndrome, construct classrooms, and recruit qualified teachers.
“We are committed to promoting education and development in Kaduna State,” Sani said. “We believe that education is the key to unlocking the potential of our people, and we will continue to invest in this sector to ensure that our children have access to quality education.”
Speaking, the DSS boss, who was represented by a retired director of the Service, Alhaji Ahmed Zalmar, said he began nurturing the idea to build the school during his years of service in the state.
The law setting up the DSS, he said, empowers the secret police to prevent five major threats to internal security, including espionage, insurgency, sabotage, subversion and terrorism.
As a trained security officer, said the DSS boss, he identified reducing discontent in the populace as a powerful counter-subversion strategy. He said he identified education as a key method of dousing discontent.
“The latest of such is the building and donation of the well-furnished modern Islamic school with support from my friends and associates, which also reflects the core mandate of President Tinubu.
“It is also part of my policies to improve the nation’s internal security architecture through conventional and non-conventional engagements,” he added.
The DG stressed that he chose to channel the support for the well-being of vulnerables and needy groups through several social projects, including building of schools, places of worship and sport centres, among other centres.
He clarified that he had never used operational funds or budgetary provisions for the philanthropic gestures aimed to win the hearts of the vulnerable population towards defeating insurgency and terrorism.
“I have always channeled parts of Corporate Social Responsibilities and other financial support from stakeholders for such purposes,” he said
Also speaking at the event, Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun, who was accompanied by his Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, emphasised the importance of education to Nigeria’s future.
He praised President Tinubu’s support for faith-based education initiatives and school feeding programmes.
“By 2050, 25 per cent of the global workforce will be African, with many from Nigeria,” noted the minister, stressing that, in spite of challenges, progress was evident in economic growth, increasing foreign reserves, stabilising inflation, and decreasing food and energy prices.
Dignitaries at the event include the state deputy governor, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, who represented Governor Uba Sani, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Dahiru Liman, who represented the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas,
Commandant- General of the NSCDC, Ahmed Audi, the Emir of Zazzau, Amb. Ahmed Bamalli, serving and past DSS directors, among others.
Sultan Lauds Tinubu For Promoting Religious Tolerance is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
