Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

Siddiq Abubakar III, (15 March 1903 – 1 November 1988) was a Nigerian

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

leader (Sarkin Musulmi). He served as the 17th

Sultan of Sokoto Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

between 17 June 1938 and 1 November 1988, making him the longest-reigning Sultan.

Life and career

Siddiq Abubakar III was born in Dange on 15 March 1903. Dan Mu’azu, a son of Usman Shehu, was a grandson of Mu'azu and, through him, a direct descendant of

Usman Dan Fodio Usman Ɗan Fodio ( ar, عثمان بن فودي, translit=ʿUthmān ibn Fodio; 15 December 1754 – 20 April 1817) was a Fulani scholar, Sunni Islamic religious teacher, revolutionary, and philosopher who founded the Sokoto Caliphate and ruled ...

. Abubakar was the fourth-generation heir to a two-century-old throne founded by his ancestor, Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio (1754–1817) leader of the

Maliki school The ( ar, مَالِكِي) school is one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. It was founded by Malik ibn Anas in the 8th century. The Maliki school of jurisprudence relies on the Quran and hadiths as primary s ...

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

and the

Qadiri The Qadiriyya (), also transliterated Qādirīyah, ''Qadri'', ''Qadriya'', ''Kadri'', ''Elkadri'', ''Elkadry'', ''Aladray'', ''Alkadrie'', ''Adray'', ''Kadray'', ''Kadiri'', ''Qadiri'', ''Quadri'' or ''Qadri'' are members of the Sunni Qadiri ta ...

branch of

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

. Abubakar had an Islamic education. and served as a district scribe in Dange between 1929 and 1931. In February 1931 Abubakar succeeded his uncle, Hassan Ibn Muazu, as the local authority councillor (Head of Talata Mafara) of the Sokoto Native Authority. He rapidly distinguished himself through administrative competence, skilled management of appeals from traditional courts, and his effective supervision of district and village heads, and as a result served until 1938. As councillor he worked from

Sokoto Sokoto is a major city located in extreme northwestern Nigeria, near the confluence of the Sokoto River and the Rima River. As of 2006 it has a population of over 427,760. Sokoto is the modern-day capital of Sokoto State and was previously the c ...

, taking part in the decision-making process of the Sokoto Native Authority and supervising the prisons and police departments. His profile rose in Sokoto as his position made him accessible to the people, but it also led to tensions with Sultan Hasan dan Mu’azu Ahmadu. When Abubakar contested the throne with other princes, such as Ahmadu Rabbah and Ahmadu Isa of Gobir, the favourable impressions that Sokoto residents had towards him contributed to making his ascension possible. The British were also interested in appointing a leader who had the trust of the people within the political structure of

Indirect rule Indirect rule was a system of governance used by the British and others to control parts of their colonial empires, particularly in Africa and Asia, which was done through pre-existing indigenous power structures. Indirect rule was used by variou ...

, so they suggested the name of Abubakar to the kingmakers. On 17 June 1938, he was crowned as the 17th Sultan (Sarkin Musulmi) of the

Sokoto Caliphate The Sokoto Caliphate (), also known as the Fulani Empire or the Sultanate of Sokoto, was a Sunni Muslim caliphate in West Africa. It was founded by Usman dan Fodio in 1804 during the Fulani jihads after defeating the Hausa Kingdoms in the Ful ...

. Abubakar was appointed a

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(KBE) by

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

during the

Colonial Nigeria Colonial Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. British influence in the region began with the prohibition of slave trade to British subjects in 1807. Britain a ...

n period in 1944, and after Nigeria attained independence in 1960, made a

Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger Nigeria became an independent country on 1 October 1960 and in 1963 became the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The republic instituted two orders of merit: the Order of the Niger and the Order of the Federal Republic. Award The two highest honou ...

(GCON) by the

Federal Republic of Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...

in 1964. Sir Abubakar was appointed to the post of Minister Without Portfolio for the Northern Regional Government in 1951, providing moral support for the new administration of regional premier

Sir Ahmadu Bello Ahmadu Ibrahim Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto (12 June 1910–15 January 1966), knighted as Sir Ahmadu Bello, was a conservative Nigerian statesman who masterminded Northern Nigeria through the independence of Nigeria in 1960 and served as its first a ...

and assistance with mobilizing the Northern people for the independence movement. He then continued to play a significant role reducing tensions in the region after the coup and assassination of Premier Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto, on 15 January 1966. On 18 July 1974, President

Moktar Ould Daddah Moktar Ould Daddah ( ar, مختار ولد داداه, Mukhtār Wald Dāddāh; December 25, 1924 – October 14, 2003) was a Mauritanian politician who led the country after it gained its independence from France. Daddah served as the country's ...

, who was on a state visit to Nigeria, paid a visit to Sultan Sir Abubakar, a fellow Islamic scholar, and friend in the company of General

Yakubu Gowon Yakubu Dan-Yumma 'Jack' Gowon (born 19 October 1934) is a retired Nigerian Army general and military leader. As Head of State of Nigeria, Gowon presided over a controversial Nigerian Civil War and delivered the famous "no victor, no vanquish ...

. In 1984, when another Sokoto son,

Shehu Shagari Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari (25 February 1925 – 28 December 2018), titled Turakin Sokoto from 1962, was the first democratically elected President of Nigeria, after the transfer of power by military head of state General Olusegun Obasanjo in ...

, was removed from power, Abubakar preached peace within the emirate council and in its relationship with the new administration. His court focused on the welfare and problems of his community, carrying on a cultural tradition espoused by Usman Dan Fodio.

Legacy

He left behind 52 children, including Ibrahim Muhammadu Maccido dan Abubakar, who succeeded Sultan

Ibrahim Dasuki Ibrahim Dasuki was the 18th Sultan of Sokoto, who was deposed in 1996 during the military government of Sani Abacha. Prior to becoming Sultan, he held the traditional title of Baraden Sokoto. Dasuki was the first Sultan from the Buhari line of the ...

in 1996 to become the 19th

and died on 29 October 2006, as the eldest, and Isah Saddiq Abubakar III as the youngest with more than 320 direct grandchildren. Sultan Abubakar III is best remembered by his compatriots as a religious leader who rose above the religious dissensions of his day. Throughout his life, he played the role of peace-maker and father of all.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abubakar, Siddiq Iii Sultans of Sokoto Grand Commanders of the Order of the Niger 1903 births 1988 deaths Nigerian recipients of British titles Nigerian knights Nigerian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Nigerian Muslims Nigerian Sufi religious leaders 20th-century Nigerian people People of the Nigerian Civil War Nigerian Sufis Nigerian traditional rulers