Many of the Sokoto residents who came to welcome former President Goodluck Jonathan today, Thursday, when he visited the Sultan of Sokoto and the family of his National Security Advisers, Dasuki Sambo over the death of late Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki a former Sultan who died at the age of 93 on Monday in Sokoto carried placards some with the inscription ‘Come back Baba Jonathan’.
Residents of Hubbaren Shehu in Sokoto State caused a stir as they trooped the streets with placards, calling for erstwhile president Goodluck Jonathan to come back to office.
The former had visited the state to pay a condolence visit to the family of the late Sultan of Sokoto, Ibrahim Dasuki, who died in Abuja recently and was buried on Tuesday after a Janaza prayers at the Sultan Bello Mosque.
During his visit, some residents cried out, displaying placards with inscriptions, ‘COME BACK BABA JONATHAN,’ ‘PRESIDENT JONATHAN’.
Speaking during a condolence visit to Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar 111 in his palace in Sokoto yesterday, Jonathan stated that the late Dasuki was a man of peace who believed in peaceful resolution of conflict.
“While I was still in office, I visited late Dasuki in London and we spoke for three hours about the unity of this country.
“Sultan Dasuki strongly believed in the unity of this country and peaceful resolution of crisis. His demise is a period for us to think about how we should live together as Nigerians, as there can never be peace without development.
“He passed on at a time his wise counsel is highly needed and for him to have survived 93 years is a major achievement,”Jonathan said.
He maintained that the deceased lived a life of service to humanity and that his 93 years on earth was a major achievement.
Jonathan therefore, presented a letter of condolence to the Sultan and prayed for the repose of the soul of the deceased.
Responding, the Sultan assured the former president that the the Sultanate Council would continue with the good legacies left by late Dasuki.
“We are not crying because we know that God gives and take anytime He wishes. We assure you that we will continue to work in the same direction he pushed us into.
“We will continue to reach out to everybody so that this country will be bettet for all,”he said.
He thanked Jonathan for the visit and wished him well in his future endeavour.
Jonathan was accompanied to the visit by the former governors of Kaduna, Sokoto and Jigawa states, Ahmed Makarfi, Attahiru Bafarawa and Sule Lamido.
Others were former Minister of Special Duties Kabiru Tanimu, former Minister of State for Health, Haliru Alhassan, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Aminu Wali, among others.
Meanwhile, hundreds of youths lined up at the Sultan Abubakar road leading to the palace , chanting the name of Jonathan.
In fact, the youths who came in large numbers, were chanting ‘sai Jonathan’ as the convoy of the former president left the palace.
