THE Sultan of Sokoto and Chairman of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has expressed concern about the country’s rising poverty rate, stating that things are not going well in Nigeria.
Abubakar, speaking at the Northern Traditional Rulers Council’s 6th Executive Committee Meeting in Kaduna yesterday, stated that Nigeria’s economic difficulties had reached a point where Nigerians were irritated, furious, and hungry.
He especially cautioned the Federal Government that the suffering, insecurity, poverty, and unemployment in Nigeria, particularly the North, had reached a point where they could no longer keep the people from revolting.
“Let’s not take it for granted; people are quiet, they are quiet for a reason because people have been talking to them. We have been talking to them, we have been trying to tell them that things will be okay and they keep on believing.
“I pray to Almighty Allah that they will not one day wake up and say we no longer believe in you that would be the biggest problem. We can’t continue to keep these people quiet as traditional, spiritual leaders and diplomats forever.
“We have reached that level, people are very agitated, people are hungry, they are angry, but they still believe there are people who can talk to them. They believe in some of their Governors, some other traditional rulers, and some of their religious leaders, fortunately, some of us double as traditional and religious leaders.
“So, we have this onerous task of reaching out to everybody, calm them down, and assure them that things would be okay. And that they should continue to pray and still do something good because prayer without work will not bring anything good,” the Sultan added.
The Sultan’s remarks come two days after the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero warned that Nigerians faced “economic hardships, hunger and starvation” and called on the president to take urgent action.
