Gov. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has observed that there has been an age-long mutual relationship between the Sokoto caliphate and that of the family of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
According to the governor, who was appreciating a platinum award conferred on him by The Tribune newspaper on the occasion of its commemorating its 70th birthday in Lagos on Tuesday.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Governor, Muhammad Bello, and released to journalists in the state on Wednesday.
According to the statement, “the tapestry of this extra-ordinary relationship is attested to by a picture in late Alhaji Shehu Shagari’s memoir: ‘Beckoned to Serve’, which shows Awo decorating him with an academic gown at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, named after the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, a political contemporary of the sage.
“The objective,” of this unique relationship noted Tambuwal, has been “the promoting and attaining of independent governance of Nigeria through a democratic process and showing that we have the inclusive Federal Republic of Nigeria that recognizes our differences and appreciate them with the sole purpose of building a virile nation.”
Tambuwal, who was accompanied to the venue of the award by a broad spectrum of the political elite in Sokoto, including the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aminu Manya Achida, himself a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) expressed his gratitude to them, emphasizing that their presence points to the fact that Sokoto is “involved in political engineering for good governance and not bickering.”
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