Sultan of Sokoto counsels Buhari against anti-people policy

Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto, has asked the federal government to be considerate of the citizens and do away with anti-people policies.

Speaking at a town hall meeting in Abuja on Monday, August 8, 2016, Sultan Abubakar advised the government that to work with the people adding that where a policy is seen to be anti-people, it must be immediately reviewed.

The Sun reports him as saying policies should be in the interest of the people, noting that if policies do not work, there was nothing wrong in reviewing them.

The town hall meeting and policy dialogue was organised by the Alumni Association of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (AANI) in collaboration with the ministry of Information and National Orientation.

The sultan warned politicians to be mindful of the fact that they only hold power in trust for the people and would one day leave the positions they occupy.

Abubakar said: “Those in authority should appreciate the fact that they hold power in trust for the people.

“They should listen and be prepared to make policy changes that address the welfare of the common people.

“Change has been said to be constant. Therefore, there is no problem if government would review policies and programmes.

“If a policy doesn’t work there is nothing wrong in reviewing them.

“In my view, policies that are anti-people should be discarded and realigned in line with prevalent realities. Where Nigeria has critical problem is in the area of policy implementation.

“At times, changes come with difficulties, but it is important that both the government and the governed should accept with clean hearts that after the days of suffering, there would be days of rejoicing.

“If we get it right in the 2016 budget, every other thing will fall into place.”

He however commended the President's administration for making efforts to revive the economy and pleaded for support from the people.

The presidency seems to also know the state of the nation as Buhari pleaded with religious leaders on Thursday, July 28, to preach message of hope to worshippers across the country.