The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has raised an alarm over the high rate of youth unemployment in Nigeria. He warned that the country might be in danger if the situation is not addressed urgently. Speaking at the Sixth Executive Committee Meeting of the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council (NTRC) in Kaduna, the Sultan expressed deep concern about the economic hardship in the country, which has left Nigerians frustrated, hungry, and resentful.
The prominent traditional and religious leader emphasized that Nigeria is in an explosive situation, particularly in the northern region. He highlighted the millions of unemployed youths without income and food, stating that this posed a serious danger to the nation. The Sultan urged the need to find jobs for the idle youths, emphasizing that sitting on a keg of gunpowder with millions of unemployed youths could lead to trouble.
He identified insecurity and poverty as the major issues causing trouble in the northern region and regretted that, despite holding meetings with northern governors, the security challenges persist. Expressing dissatisfaction with the state of affairs, the Sultan questioned the continuity of the government in addressing the challenges, stating, “To me, this government is a continuation of the former government; it is the same party. So, what really is the problem? I think that is one of the reasons we are here to talk to ourselves.”
The Sultan stressed the importance of traditional rulers in bringing solutions to the various problems facing the country, emphasizing that the solutions already exist, but implementation is lacking. He called for government investment in the security sector, both in terms of equipment and manpower, to address the menace of insecurity urgently.
He added that people are agitated, hungry, and angry, but they still believe there are people who can talk to them. He urged the need to calm people down, assure them things will be okay, and encourage them to continue to pray and work towards positive change. The Sultan stated that the traditional leaders can only advise the political leaders, but if empowered, they could do a lot. He urged the need for collaboration between the traditional leaders and the governors to achieve peace and stability in the country.