P
ProfRem
Guest
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has condemned killing fellow human beings in the name of God, saying those who shout “Allahu Akbar” and kill people with the belief that they are fulfilling God’s injunction would all go to hell.
Delivering the 9th Dignity of Man Lecture at the 57 Founders’ Day celebration at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka yesterday, the sultan said it was a “huge lie” for people to nurse such belief, stressing that human life should be protected even if the person is not a Muslim.
He added that the dignity of man covers all human beings including Muslims, Christians, Hindus and others.
Sultan Abubakar emphasized that people described as Fulani who go about killing people are criminals and not herdsmen. “We don’t call them herdsmen,” he remarked.
The sultan also spoke on the need for understanding and recognition of various ethnic groups in the country, noting that the time had come when every divisive and selfish tendency threatening the nation and retarding its progress were done away with.
He asked Muslims to project and apply the best values of Islamic civilization at “these very trying moments of the clamour for restructuring”.
“Human dignity is God-given. Any society where the sanctity of life is not protected cannot be said to be civilized. In other words, the sanctity of human life, the honour conferred in the human person and the investment in the development of the human person are the metrics to measure human civilization. This promotion and protection of human life and dignity can only come through education. Education holds the key to development, and development is people-centered and people- driven,” he said.
Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State emphasized the need for proper attention to education, describing it as the bedrock of development of any nation.
Delivering the 9th Dignity of Man Lecture at the 57 Founders’ Day celebration at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka yesterday, the sultan said it was a “huge lie” for people to nurse such belief, stressing that human life should be protected even if the person is not a Muslim.
He added that the dignity of man covers all human beings including Muslims, Christians, Hindus and others.
Sultan Abubakar emphasized that people described as Fulani who go about killing people are criminals and not herdsmen. “We don’t call them herdsmen,” he remarked.
The sultan also spoke on the need for understanding and recognition of various ethnic groups in the country, noting that the time had come when every divisive and selfish tendency threatening the nation and retarding its progress were done away with.
He asked Muslims to project and apply the best values of Islamic civilization at “these very trying moments of the clamour for restructuring”.
“Human dignity is God-given. Any society where the sanctity of life is not protected cannot be said to be civilized. In other words, the sanctity of human life, the honour conferred in the human person and the investment in the development of the human person are the metrics to measure human civilization. This promotion and protection of human life and dignity can only come through education. Education holds the key to development, and development is people-centered and people- driven,” he said.
Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State emphasized the need for proper attention to education, describing it as the bedrock of development of any nation.