Sultan, Yari call for social media regulation to curb division

The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has warned that social media is regulated while conveying a message of urgent unity among Mus...

The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has warned that social media is regulated while conveying a message of urgent unity among Muslim clerics.

Representing the Sultan, the Emir of Zazzau, Ahmad Nuhu Bamalli, issued the warning at a special summit of Northern Ulamas held on Wednesday in Kaduna, where leading voices in Islam and politics converged to deliberate on the mounting threats to national peace, unity, and social cohesion.

The event, attended by influential clerics, traditional rulers, and lawmakers, underscored a growing concern over how divisive rhetoric, online misinformation, and worsening economic hardship are fueling instability across the North and beyond.

The Sultan of Sokoto called for unity among muslims, and suggested that social media is a tool of division and hatred and must be regulated.

“This is the time to unite the Muslim Ummah.

“Our clerics must preach peace, tolerance, and national unity in line with Islamic teachings.

“Social media must also be regulated because it is increasingly being used to spread division and hatred,” the Sultan declared in his message.

The Sultan, who doubles as the President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, stressed that true leadership among the Ulamas must be rooted in wisdom, restraint, and proactive engagement with the people, especially at the grassroots level.

He lamented that inflammatory preaching, coupled with the spread of unverified information online, had worsened mistrust among communities.

“If we fail to speak with one voice,” he warned, “we risk handing over our future to chaos and confusion.”

The Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Doguwa, also lent his voice to the call for unity, emphasising the need for strong collaboration between religious leaders and political authorities in tackling national challenges.

Doguwa said, “Security is everyone’s business. We in the National Assembly will support any initiative that unites our people and upholds Islamic values.

“Our leaders must rise above partisan and sectarian divides to build lasting peace.”

Doguwa, a long-time advocate of religious harmony in governance, noted that the legislative arm was ready to partner with religious institutions to strengthen moral values and promote responsible civic behaviour, particularly among the youth.

Also speaking at the summit, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari (Zamfara West) offered a candid self-assessment of the region’s predicament, observing that the insecurity crisis first took root in Muslim-dominated communities before spreading across the country.

“Insecurity started in Muslim-dominated areas. We can’t blame the government alone.

“The solution lies in our hands — in unity, action, and honest dialogue,” Yari said.

The former Zamfara State governor cautioned Nigerians against deepening the culture of economic dependency and unrealistic expectations, warning that laziness and misplaced priorities were compounding the region’s socio-economic decline.

“We’re sleeping in our rooms and expecting to become billionaires. It doesn’t work that way. We must face economic realities, work hard, and stop living in self-deception,” he added.

Turning to the dangers of unregulated digital communication, Yari described social media abuse as a ticking time bomb that threatens both leaders and ordinary citizens alike.

He called for regulation to protect the public space without infringing on free speech.

“Social media doesn’t spare anyone — rich or poor. It’s time to regulate it and use it responsibly, just as other nations do,” he said.

In his contribution, prominent Kaduna-based cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, attributed much of the insecurity in the North to external manipulation, poverty, and internal disunity among Muslims.

He alleged that foreign interests were exploiting poor and uneducated herders to destabilise the region.

“Banditry is being fueled by outsiders. They covet our mineral wealth and use our uneducated youth as pawns.

“We must talk among ourselves and find an internal solution to these challenges,” Gumi declared.

He urged the various Islamic sects to set aside doctrinal differences and engage in sustained dialogue to combat ignorance, unemployment, and extremism.

“Dialogue within the Ummah is key. If we can solve our differences internally, outsiders will have no room to divide or exploit us,” he said.

Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).