President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday met with the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, at the State House, Abuja, in what officials described as part of a broader effort to deepen national unity and interfaith dialogue.
The closed-door meeting came just days after the President hosted the Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, highlighting a renewed push by the Tinubu administration to strengthen trust among Nigeria’s major faith and cultural communities.
Dada Olusegun, Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, shared clips of both meetings on X (formerly Twitter), noting that they formed part of the President’s ongoing consultations with traditional and religious leaders to foster peace and stability across the country.
Presidency sources confirmed that the consultations are central to Tinubu’s strategy for promoting social harmony under the Renewed Hope Agenda, which places inclusivity and interfaith cooperation at the heart of governance. “The President believes that engaging moral and cultural leaders is essential to consolidating peace and addressing the country’s emerging social challenges,” one senior aide said.
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The meeting with the Sultan comes at a sensitive time for Nigeria, following the United States’ decision on October 31, 2025, to redesignate the country as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged violations of religious freedom. The US cited reports of more than 7,000 Christian deaths between January and July 2025, allegedly caused by extremist groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, and armed herders.
The Federal Government has strongly rejected the claims, insisting that Nigeria’s constitution guarantees religious freedom and that incidents of violence are often misrepresented as faith-based conflicts. Officials described the genocide allegations as “false narratives” aimed at undermining the country’s image.
Tinubu’s engagement with the Sultan, the spiritual leader of Nigerian Muslims and a respected voice for interfaith harmony is seen as a deliberate step to reinforce Nigeria’s unity and reassure both local and international observers of the government’s commitment to peace.
The meeting shows Tinubu’s belief that national cohesion depends on continuous dialogue between the state and moral institutions. It also reflects his administration’s broader diplomatic response to international criticism of Nigeria’s human rights and religious freedom record.
