Sultan on why citizens must hold leaders to account over insecurity

The Chairman of the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council (NTRC) and Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, has urged citizens to identify their priorities and communicate them to their state governors, stating that political leaders and traditional rulers are servants of the people.

Speaking on Monday in his opening remarks at the 8th Executive Committee Meeting of the NTRC in Jigawa State, the Sultan stressed that citizens must engage their governors regarding public expenditure, and not leave leaders to dictate how public funds are spent unilaterally.

“Just like the traditional rulers, the governors are also servants of the people, and people should not be afraid of telling the governors the problems they have, and what they should do with their money, because the money belongs to the people,” the Sultan stated.

He further reminded leaders of the divine responsibility that comes with governance, noting that positions of authority do not elevate leaders above the citizens they serve.

“It is Almighty Allah who uses the governors to play leadership, not because they are more special than others, or they know better than others; we are all the same people and equal before Almighty Allah. The best among us is he who is pious,” he added.

Addressing the role of traditional institutions, the Sultan noted that monarchs remain structurally limited in their executive powers and in their control over security personnel; they rely on channelling their strategic security advice directly to the political executive.

To this end, he said the Council had delivered a comprehensive security communique to the Governor of Gombe State and Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, Inuwa Yahaya, for onward transmission to the governors of the 19 northern states.

The Sultan concluded his address with a call to resilience, urging citizens to remain steadfast and support their leaders through prayers, despite the economic and security challenges facing the region.

“Don’t get tired of praying for our leaders, no matter the issue we face, either insecurity or poverty level, it will soon be a thing of the past because after pain comes relief,” he said.

“We believe we will soon smile because of the activities of our various leaders. We are leaders, we are not rulers, we believe we will continue to work for the citizens, we are for them anytime and always work for the people.”

In his remarks, the host governor, Umar Namadi, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to inclusive governance, identifying peace and security as the foundational pillars of his development strategy for the state.

The governor highlighted that since taking office in 2023, his administration has pursued people-centred governance guided by a clear roadmap.

“We recognise that sustainable progress is best achieved through participatory governance and close collaboration with traditional institutions, religious leaders, community structures, and other stakeholders,” Mr Namadi stated, adding that security remains at the heart of his 12-Point Agenda and his broader vision for a “Greater Jigawa.”

The governor noted the complex socio-economic challenges confronting the country and called for an immediate, unified response to systemic issues.

“As we all know, Northern Nigeria continues to face serious development challenges, including insecurity, poverty, youth unemployment, climate pressures, farmer-herder conflicts, drug abuse, out-of-school children, and weakening community values,” he said.

“Addressing these requires sustained cooperation among state governments, traditional institutions, religious leaders, civil society, security agencies, and citizens. In this regard, we commend the Northern States Governors’ Forum for promoting stronger collective action and deeper collaboration with the Councils of Traditional Rulers towards lasting peace, security, stability, and development in the region.”

Governor Namadi also acknowledged the strategic interventions coming from the central government, praising the cooperation between federal authorities and state executives.

“It is also important to recognise the ongoing efforts of the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to find lasting solutions to insecurity, not only in the Northwest but also across the North and Nigeria as a whole.

“We appreciate the renewed commitment to intensified military and intelligence operations, improved coordination among security agencies, and stronger collaboration with state governments.”

He referenced a recent milestone declaration by the Sultan of Sokoto as a rallying cry that the region must not abandon.

“The current theme, ‘Peace, Unity and Development of the North,’ continues this focus at a time when insecurity has not abated and continues to affect the region’s development and long-term prosperity.

The spirit of the ‘enough is enough’ declaration made by the Sultan (previously) in Maiduguri must therefore be sustained through stronger resolve, deeper collaboration, and practical action, Governor Namadi urged.

Mr Namadi concluded by expressing optimism that the gathering would yield actionable outcomes rather than just rhetoric, describing the meeting as timely and a vital forum for generating “practical recommendations on peacebuilding, unity, development, conflict prevention, education, youth development, and community participation.”