President Bola Tinubu on Friday met with the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar III, at the State House, Abuja.
The closed-door meeting came just a few days after the President met Bishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, the Archbishop of Abuja.
The Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, who posted the videos of Tinubu’s meetings with both leaders on X, said the engagement was part of the ongoing consultations with religious and traditional leaders to promote dialogue and strengthen social trust across the country.
Other Presidency sources who spoke with the Nation described the meetings as part of the President’s consultations with key moral and cultural leaders on ways to consolidate peace, enhance national integration, and tackle emerging social challenges.
According to officials, the meetings align with Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises inclusivity and interfaith cooperation as core pillars for sustaining national stability and cohesion.
The meetings come in the wake of escalating global tensions over religious freedom, particularly following US President Donald Trump’s October 31, 2025, redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern.”
The U.S. had alleged severe religious violations in Nigeria, including “over 7,000 Christian deaths in the first seven months of 2025 amid attacks by Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Fulani militants.”
But the Federal Government has denied the allegation, insisting Nigeria’s constitution safeguards interfaith harmony and rejecting claims of Christian genocide as “false narratives.”
The PUNCH
