The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, has asserted that
Sharia law is strictly for Muslims and must never be implemented for Christians.
According to him, Christians must not be compelled to dress, pray, or behave like Muslims.
Speaking on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at the triennial meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) in Abuja, the Sultan made the following key points:
• Sharia is exclusively for Muslims: The law is 100% an internal Muslim affair and applies only to followers of Islam.
• No Christian should face Sharia courts: It is “totally wrong” for Christians to be subjected to Sharia courts or Sharia-based judgments.
• Nigeria is multi-religious, not a theocracy: The Nigerian government has not adopted either Islam or Christianity as a state religion but supports the peaceful coexistence of both faiths.
• Respect for religious boundaries: He stressed that respecting the boundaries of each religion is crucial for peace, unity, and mutual understanding in Nigeria.
The Sultan’s comments come amidst ongoing discussions and debates in Nigeria regarding the role of Sharia law and national unity.
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
