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Sokoto
Sada Abubakar — 20th Sultan of Sokoto
A new Sultan of Sokoto, the spiritual leader of
Nigeria's 70m Muslims, has been announced.
He is Colonel Sada Abubakar,53, brother of Sultan Mohammadu Maccido, who was killed
in a plane crash on Sunday, along with 95 others.
Col Abubakar had been serving as Nigeria's military attache to Pakistan.
Like all sultans, Col Abubakar is descended from Uthman
Dan Fodio, who led a 19th
Century jihad to spread Islam across northern Nigeria.
“I want to congratulate the state government for choosing a consensus sultan,” said
Muhammadu Bello, trader.
The BBC's Ardo Abdullah Hazzad in the northern city of Sokoto, says that thousands
of people have gathered to celebrate the appointment outside the imposing sultan's
palace.
Col Abubakar is to greet the crowds after earlier going to thank Sokoto
State Governor Attahiru Bafarawa for naming him as the 20th sultan.
Col Abubakar was chosen by a group of traditional rulers, known as kingmakers,
who passed a shortlist of three to Mr Bafarawa for the final decision.
“May he continue where the late sultan stopped,” trader Muhammadu Bello
told Reuters news agency.
Col. Abubakar, who has also served with West Africa's peacekeeping force in Sierra
Leone, was top of the list and so the governor was expected to select him.
He is described as being relaxed and easy-going.
The Sokoto Caliphate founded by Dan Fodio became one of the largest pre-colonial
states in Africa.
The sultan's role includes announcing the start and the end of the Muslim holy
month of Ramadan in Nigeria.
The BBC's Alex Last in Nigeria says the sultan is meant to be a symbol of good
governance and Islamic unity.
The late sultan was widely respected for trying to ease tensions between Nigeria's
Muslim and Christians communities, which occasionally spill over into sectarian
violence.
His son and grandson were also killed when a Boeing 737 flight operated by ADC
airlines crashed just after take-off from the capital, Abuja, on its way to Sokoto.
Nigeria held three days of national mourning and President
Olusegun Obasanjo went
to Sokoto to pay his respects.
It was the third major Nigeria plane crash in just over a year.
ADC's licence has been suspended.
BBC News 2006/11/02
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