The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has once again urged the federal government to ensure that history is reintroduced in secondary schools throughout the country.
He stated that history provides people with information from the past that affects their current situation and will assist them in planning for the future.
According to the Sultan, history must be prioritised for any meaningful development to occur in any nation and the government must ensure that history is taught as a subject in all secondary schools across the country.
He added that consulting historical events will aid in correcting mistakes made by previous leaders and influencing current leaders’ decisions in steering the nation’s affairs for progress and development.
During his speech, Sokoto state governor Aminu Tambuwal emphasised the importance of history in addressing the country’s current challenges.
He blamed past political leaders for formulating certain policies and decisions that are responsible for the present security challenges.
Governor Tambuwal said the current farmer/herder clashes, which have escalated into full-fledged banditry and other criminalities, can be traced back to the repeal of the Jangali tax, which was previously imposed on owners of Cattles herds.
He claimed that in the first and second republics, political leaders used the abolition of the Jangali tax as a political weapon against the ruling party in northern Nigeria in order to win elections.
He stated that the repercussions of such a decision are to blame for the current security challenges, as the Jangali tax serves as a pool for monitoring and watching Herders and their movements.
Governor Tambuwal cautioned political leaders against enacting policies or making decisions that could harm society.