The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has confirmed his participation in the upcoming African Traditional Leaders’ Conference on Women’s Rights and Gender-Based Violence (GBV), scheduled to take place in Lagos in February 2026.
The Sultan gave his nod when a delegation from the development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) paid him a courtesy visit at his palace in Sokoto.
He commended the organisation’s work, noting that its objectives align with the Sultanate’s long-standing advocacy for women’s rights and education grounded in Islamic scholarship.
He also praised the women-led delegation and called for stronger follow-up on recommendations from national forums.
Ford Foundation programme officer, Mr. Oumar Ndiaye, described the conference as a landmark platform for African traditional leaders to unite in tackling GBV and promoting women’s rights.
He lauded the Sultan’s commitment, stressing that “ending GBV requires collective action across society.”
Leading the dRPC delegation, Professor Taufiq Abubakar highlighted the organisation’s Muslim Opinion Leaders (MOLs) for the Prevention of GBV in Northern Nigeria project, supported by the Ford Foundation.
He explained that the initiative works with Islamic scholars to advance women’s protection from an Islamic perspective, producing publications in collaboration with Al-Azhar University and the Centre for Islamic Civilisation and Interfaith Dialogue.
These are now being translated into Arabic and Hausa.
Professor Abubakar also pointed to ongoing collaborations with Muslim scholars to confront GBV and address the “double stigmatisation” of survivors, which he said remains a serious challenge in Northern Nigeria.
