President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday held a closed-door meeting with the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in what the Presidency described as part of ongoing high-level consultations to deepen national cohesion.
Naijaonpoint reports that the engagement came barely days after the President met with the Archbishop of Abuja, Bishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, signalling intensified outreach to moral, religious, and cultural leaders across the country.
Videos of the two meetings were posted on 𝕏 by the President’s Special Assistant on Social Media, who said the consultations were aimed at strengthening dialogue and rebuilding social trust at a delicate moment in Nigeria’s national life.
Presidency officials told The Nation that the engagements form a central plank of Tinubu’s efforts to consolidate peace, foster religious harmony, and address emerging tensions across the federation.
“These meetings are part of the President’s broad consultations with key moral and cultural leaders to enhance national integration and tackle social challenges,” one senior official said.
According to sources within the Villa, the meetings reflect Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which places inclusivity, interfaith respect, and dialogue at the heart of governance. Officials said the administration views religious and traditional institutions as vital partners in sustaining national stability.
“Inclusivity and interfaith cooperation are core pillars of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” a Presidency aide noted, adding that such engagements help strengthen unity at a time of global tension.
The President’s meetings come at a time Nigeria is under international watch following US President Donald Trump’s October 31 redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern”.
Washington had claimed that more than 7,000 Christians were killed in the first seven months of 2025 in attacks linked to Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Fulani militants, allegations that triggered diplomatic reactions.
The Federal Government has since dismissed the numbers and rejected the CPC label, insisting that Nigeria’s constitution guarantees freedom of worship and that the security crisis affects citizens of all faiths.
Officials described the genocide narrative as “a false and misleading account that does not reflect realities on the ground.”
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