The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar on Thursday conferred awards on some prominent Nigerians.
The recipients included a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mahmoud Yayale Ahmed and Etsu Nupe, Yahya Abubakar who bagged Sultan Bello Award for Good Governance and Public Service Award respectively.
Others were the late Sheikh Isiyaka Rabiu of Kano State and Sheikh Isa Talatan Mafara who received the Usman bin Fordiyo award for exemplary leadership.
The Registrar of Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, Professor Ishaq Oloyede and Professor Khadija Nuhu received Sultan Sa’ad Award for Peace and Nana Asma’u Award respectively.
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Sultan also honoured the Keke NAPEP operator who returned millions of naira left in his tricycle in Kano State and the Zamfara State’s woman who found some hard currency and returned it to the officials of the state’s Pilgrims Welfare Agency during the last Hajj exercise.
Speaking, Sultan Sa’ad said they were chosen for the award because of their positive contribution to the development of their societies and the country at large. He described the awardees as the great nationalists with proven integrity and honesty.
Speaking on behalf of the recipients, Yayale Ahmed expressed gratitude to the Sultan. He enjoined Muslims to always identify with the tenets of Islam.
“We must always be proud of our religion. If we are shying to identify with our religion, we are doing great disservice to our nation.
“We must identify with the tenets of Islam and never compromise the teaching of the religion,” he said
To the Sultan, he said “Muslim communities are behind you on all that you have done in the country.”
The ceremony, which was part of the activities marking the 10th Sheikh Usman bin Fordiyo week, was attended by the governors of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states as well as Emir of Zazzau and the renowned global cleric, Dr. Zaki Naik among others.
