The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar III, has promised to partner with Federal and Bauchi State Governments and the Bauchi Emirate Council to find lasting solutions to lingering crisis in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Council of Bauchi State.

The Sultan made the pledge in Sokoto on Tuesday when a delegation from the Muslim community in the area paid him a courtesy visit.

He said this ethno-religious and political crisis rage between the Muslim and the Sayawa Christian communities and we are happy now that both sides are yearning for amicable resolution of the crisis.

“Another high-powered delegation of the Sayawa Christian community from the area also recently paid a similar visit to me.

“Their mission was to seek for my urgent intervention with a view to finding lasting solution to the problem, which had truncated peace, unity and development in the area since around 1953.”

According to the Sultan, the crisis will only continue to aggravate the problems of underdevelopment, poverty and retrogression.

Abubakar expressed happiness that both the Muslim and Christian communities in the area were now seeking for a lasting peace.

He added that “God has created us together, with diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds, not to disunite us but to be formidably united.

“Leaders must be just to their followers, while the followers must be respectful and law abiding, and we all have rights to worship God the way we want.”

The monarch then urged the two sides to continue to be patient and fervently prayerful, saying that dialogue was the best solution to all problems.

The leader of the delegation and District Head of Tafawa Balewa, Alhaji Suleiman Muhammad, who spoke through Prof. Salisu Shehu, commended the Sultan for his efforts in entrenching peace and unity in the country and beyond.

He said “that is why we felt that as law abiding citizens and God-fearing persons, we have to come and complain to the Sultan, who is the Spiritual Head of the Muslims in this country.

“We earnestly want an urgent intervention to find lasting solutions to the problem which had virtually defied all previous solutions.” (NAN)

•Photo shows Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III.