Sa'adu Abubakar

Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar IV (born August 24 1956) is the 20th Sultan of Sokoto. As Sultan of Sokoto, he is considered the spiritual leader of Nigeria's one hundred million Muslims, roughly fifty percent of the nation's population.[1]

Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar IV
Amir al-Mu'minin
Sultan of Sokoto
Reign2 November 2006 – present
PredecessorMuhammadu Maccido
Heir apparentAmir Sa'ad Abubakar
Born (1956-08-24) August 24, 1956
Sokoto, Northern Region,
British Nigeria
Full name
Sa'adu Abubakar
Regnal name
Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar IV
FatherSiddiq Abubakar III
ReligionSunni Islam

Abubakar is the fifth heir to the two century-old throne founded by his ancestor, Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio (1754–1817) leader of the Maliki school of Islam and the Qadiri branch of Sufism.[1]

Early life

Family

Sa'adu Abubakar was born on August 24 1956 in Sokoto, the youngest son of the 17th Sultan, Siddiq Abubakar III, who held the Sultanate for over fifty years.[2]

Education

He attended the prestigious Barewa College in Zaria and proceeded to the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1975 where he was a member of the 18th Regular Course.[3]

Military career

Abubakar was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1977 and served in the elite Armoured Corps. He headed a presidential security unit of the Armoured Corps that guarded then military ruler General Ibrahim Babangida in the late 1980s. Abubakar also commanded a battalion of African peacekeepers in Chad during the early 1980s as part of the Organisation of African Unity's force and was military liaison officer for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in the mid 1990s.[4]

He was appointed Commanding Officer 241 Recce Battalion, Kaduna in 1993.[3] From 1995 to 1999, he was ECOWAS military liaison officer and commanding officer, 231 Tank Battalion (ECOMOG Operations) in Sierra Leone from 1999 to 2000.[3] From 2003 to 2006, he served as Defence Attaché to Pakistan (also accredited for Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan).[3]

Sultan of Sokoto

Accession

On 2 November 2006, Abubakar ascended the throne following the death of his brother, Muhammadu Maccido, who died on ADC Airlines Flight 53.[5]

Titles

As the Sultan of Sokoto, Abubakar is the leader of the Qadiriyya sufi order, which is the most important Muslim position in Nigeria and senior to the Emir of Kano, the leader of the most populous Tijaniyya sufi order.[6] He is also the head of Jama'atu Nasril Islam (Society for the Support of Islam – JNI), and president-general of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA).[7]

Titles, styles and honours

Titles and styles
  • 24 August 1956 – 2 November 2006 - Sa'adu Abubakar
  • From 1977 – 2 November 2006 - Military career (retired as Brigadier general)[3]
  • 2 November 2006 – present - His Eminence, Sultan Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar IV

Honours
  • In 2015, Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar IV was listed among the 10 recipients of the maiden edition of the Global Seal of Integrity (GSOI). An annual list which is compiled and authored by two young Nigerians; Emmanuel Josh Omeiza and Godspower Oshodin (under the Global Youth Coalition for Integrity) for promoting integrity among the people and consequently promoting the well-being of the Universe.
  • In Thursday 22 of August, 2019 Sultan Appointed as Co-Moderator of the Council of Religion for Peace (CRP)
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References
  1. The Muslim 500: "Amirul Mu’minin Sheikh as Sultan Muhammadu Sa’adu Abubakar III" Archived June 25, 2014, at the Wayback Machine retrieved May 15, 2014
  2. "The Sokoto Caliphate and its legacies". dawodu.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  3. Chiama, Paul. "From Barracks To Royalty: 6 Prominent Ex-Military Officers Now Royal Fathers". Leadership Nigeria. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  4. "From Nigerian soldier to Sultan of Sokoto". November 2, 2006. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  5. "Nigeria gets new Islamic leader". November 2, 2006. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  6. All Africa: "Nigeria: Updated – Kano Blasts Claim Over 60" By Ismail Mudashir Archived February 4, 2015, at the Wayback Machine November 28, 2014
  7. Paden, John N. (2008). Faith and politics in Nigeria. Washington, DC: US Institute of Peace Press. pp. 32f. ISBN 978-1-60127-029-0.
Preceded by
Muhammadu Maccido		 Sultan of Sokoto
November 2, 2006–current		 Succeeded by
incumbent
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