TheCable

Sa’ad Abubakar III, the sultan of Sokoto, has appealed to wealthy individuals in the country to complement the efforts of the three tiers of government in tackling poverty through job creation.

In his Sallah message, Abubakar lamented over the rate of poverty in the country.

He said: “The governments, at all levels, are trying their best to provide for the needs of the people, but more should be done.

“More policies and programmes should be introduced to further reduce the menace of high rates of poverty and unemployment in the country.”

He also called for prayers for Nigeria, saying all acts of insurgency are against Islam.

”Insurgency is against the tenets of Islam and it is against the cultures and norms of Muslims in Nigeria and the world over,” he said.

”We must commend the various security agencies in the country for their sustained efforts in taming the menace of insurgency and other related crimes in the nation.

”These commendable efforts must be sustained to avoid complacency and to sustain the giant strides in this direction.

”We are also commending security agencies in the state for working round the clock to ensure the prevalence of sustainable peace and security.”

He also commended the government for providing security agencies with the enabling environment to diligently operate, saying the prevailing peace and security in the country was due to good governance.

Abubakar commiserated with the families of the victims of insurgency as well as those of the recent Makkah crane crash which resulted in about 110 deaths, including six Nigerians.

He commended the Saudi authorities for promptly treating the injured pilgrims as well as compensating the dead, saying these acts constitute a mark of leadership.

The monarch also commended Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto state, for sustaining the programmes and policies of his predecessor, such as the retention of the Zakkat and endowment committee.