23 Facts About Muhammadu Maccido

Muhammadu Maccido was the son and primary aide to Siddiq Abubakar III who had been the Sultan of Sokoto for 50 years.

Muhammadu Maccido was crowned on 21 April 1996 and ruled from the position for a decade.

Muhammadu Maccido used the position to try and reconcile divisions in the Muslim community of northern Nigeria, improve connections with other Muslim communities, and decrease ethnic tensions within Nigeria.

On 29 October 2006, after meeting with President Olusegun Obasanjo, Muhammadu Maccido died in the plane crash of ADC Airlines Flight 53, with his son Badamasi Muhammadu Maccido, while returning to Sokoto.

Muhammadu Maccido is buried in Sokoto with many of the other Sultans of Sokoto.

Muhammadu Maccido was one of the few children born to Sultan Siddiq Abubakar III before Abubakar became the Sultan of Sokoto in 1938.

Muhammadu Maccido was born on 20 April 1928 on the outskirts of the city of Sokoto in the town of Dange Shuni.

Many other children had died in childbirth and so when Muhammadu was born to Abubakar's senior wife Hauwa, he was given the additional name Maccido to try and ward off bad luck.

Muhammadu Maccido was prominent in Abubakar's court while growing up and his father's leadership system significantly impacted Muhammadu Maccido's eventual reign.

The political situation was quite tense after this and from this Muhammadu Maccido learned to reconcile with political opponents.

In 1951, Muhammadu Maccido was elected into the Northern House of Assembly in Kaduna.

Muhammadu Maccido held various posts in the Sokoto Native Authority in the 1950s, including Councilor of Works, Councilor for Rural Development, and Councilor for Agriculture.

In 1986, Muhammadu Maccido left politics around the country to tend to his ill father Abubakar and local politics in Sokoto.

When his father was determined to be too ill for the responsibilities of the office, Muhammadu Maccido was part of an Inner Council to govern the Emirate.

Violence immediately erupted in Sokoto and the rest of northern Nigeria with supporters of Muhammadu Maccido actively protesting the interference of the military in emirate matters.

Muhammadu Maccido returned after Babangida's reign but did not support active resistance of his followers to Dasuki.

Muhammadu Maccido encouraged his supporters to not associate with Dasuki's rule and remain separate.

Muhammadu Maccido started importing goods and selling the goods to local businesses, just before he became sultan.

When Dasuki was attacked at his home by armed robbers, Muhammadu Maccido sent an official envoy to provide support to Dasuki.

Muhammadu Maccido attended the World Conference on Islam, went to Saudi Arabia to raise money for Islamic schools, and engaged significantly with Muslims elsewhere in the world.

However, Muhammadu Maccido opposed the Nigerian state government when they tried to grant Shi'ite migrants to the area the right to pray in the Sokoto mosques.

Muhammadu Maccido's body was led through the streets of Sokoto with tens of thousand of mourners gathered.

Muhammadu Maccido was buried in the main tomb of the sultans of Sokoto, near that of his father.