Traditional rulers are not afraid of Governors says famous Northern Monarch – Crime Channels

Traditional rulers are not afraid of Governors says famous Northern Monarch

The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Mohammad Abubakar II, has strongly rejected the notion that traditional rulers are intimidated by state governors.

Speaking at a Stakeholders’ Roundtable on Northern Nigerian Youth Development in Abuja on Tuesday, organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, the Sultan emphasised that traditional rulers have long held authority in the country, long before Nigeria’s independence in 1960.

He asserted that, as monarchs, they possess a deeper understanding and stronger connection to the nation’s history, culture, and people than governors.

The Sultan’s comments were in response to a statement made by former Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, who suggested that traditional rulers were intimidated by the authority of state governors.

According to the Sultan, “I heard that traditional rulers are afraid of their governors. No, traditional rulers are not afraid of the governors. Traditional rulers are only respecting themselves, respecting the governors who have authority in the various states, not fear.

“Whenever anything is done, we don’t give up. We leave everything to Almighty Allah, who brought changes to the world and we accept changes as there are.

“Because we all knew, before the governors came to be, our institutions had been ruling the present Nigeria since 1914. There was no Nigeria then before we got independence in 1960. So we have more stake as traditional leaders in the country because we know what our people feel and we are honest with them and we don’t run away whenever anything happens.”